CEBU, Philippines — The Police Regional Office-7 denied reports from a local newspaper that reported that Cebu is the top hotspot in drug-related killings, based on a monitoring conducted by “Dahas Project” from January 1 to October 15, 2024.
The project is a study initiated by the Third World Studies Center of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the University of the Philippines Diliman.
PRO-7 said in a statement that it was never invited to be part of the study conducted by the Dahas Project, resulting in inaccurate data not reflective of the true situation on the ground, especially in Cebu.
They also said the data presented by the article is not consistent with their official crime data generated by the Crime Incidents Reporting Analysis System (CIRAS).
“PRO-7’s CIRAS figures show that only one drug-related killing was determined by the Cebu City Police Office in their initial investigation from January to October 15, 2024. On the other hand, in Cebu Province, 11 drug-related killings were identified, 10 of which were already cleared or solved. These 12 drug-related deaths are perpetrated by drug traffickers victimizing their cohorts in the illegal drug trade,” PRO-7 said.
The PNP units, PRO-7 said, are equipped with the authority, competence, and resources to conduct full-blown and professional investigations on the motives of murder cases.
PRO-7 also point out the inaccuracy in the use of the term “drug war” in the said article.
“It is clear that the killings being referred to in the study and in the article are drug-related murders or those murders that are perpetrated by criminals or drug traffickers in relation to their illegal drug transactions,” it said.
PRO-7 said that the use of the term “drug war” in the title of the article will bring confusion and may mislead the public.
“Our anti-drug operations in PRO-7 are relentless, highly-analytical, and most importantly, adherent to the Police Operational Procedures,” it said.
PRO-7 said that the more than ?1 billion worth of shabu confiscated from January to the present speaks of this level of aggressiveness.
“To point out, in all these operations, no human rights violations are recorded. While we appreciate the role of mass media in assisting us in informing the public, we appeal for objectivity and accuracy in the information that we share with the public,” it added.
According to the said monitoring as posted at VERA Files that Cebu, with 65 killings from January until October 15, is currently the top hotspot in the Philippines for reported drug-related killings, which comprises 21% of the 312 drug-related deaths in the whole country.
Dahas Project added that of Cebu's 53 local government units, drug-related killings have been reported in 18 LGUs.
The drug-related killings in Cebu are concentrated in Cebu City, which accounts for 58.46% (38 of the 65) of all the killings, majority of which were Barangay Mambaling with 10 cases. Of the 38 killings in Cebu City, these are spread in 21 out of its 80 barangays. — (FREEMAN)