PNP highway patrol-reg. 6 says: Western Visayas not haven for "hot cars"

ILOILO CITY , Philippines  — Western Visayas is not a dumping ground or selling areas of stolen or carnapped vehicles, an official of the PNP Highway Patrol Group-Region 6 said the other day.

Senior Supt. Cesar Jacob, HPG-6 director, said the travel-by land and sea–will discourage carnap groups from bringing the vehicles to sell in Region 6. "Medyo malayo siya kasi marami pang dadaanan," he said.

Carnappers would opt to bring the stolen vehicles in Luzon and will find ways to have them registered there. Once the vehicles have documents, they would sell them in the guise as previously-owned vehicles or second-hand cars.

Jacob also denied reports about a safe house being maintained by car thefts or other criminal groups in the region.

He, however, admitted they have recovered eight stolen vehicles in Western Visayas last year, five of these in Bacolod City, and one each in Iloilo City and Aklan and Antique provinces. The "owners" did not know they bought carnapped vehicles from Luzon.

Dumping ground or not, Jacob said his men have been on alert against possible incidents of car thieves and other syndicates who might move their illegal operations here following the alarming reports of carnapping cases in Luzon.

He said the HPG-6 would step up its campaign on the "No Plate, No Travel" policy to deter car thefts in the region, and there have been no report so far about carnapping incidents here.

Meanwhile, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., police regional director, said he already directed all field unit commanders to intensify the conduct of checkpoint/chokepoint operations to intercept hot cars and prevent criminal syndicates from stealing cars.

Querol directed police units to mobilize the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams (BPATs) to augment monitoring efforts and other security operations. "Car thefts, as well as other crimes, can be easily stopped and prevented when we have the strong support of the community," he said.

He also urged car owners or drivers not to entrust their car to interested buyers of second-hand vehicles, and to check first the car's records with the HPG.