By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
What the proud Philippine National Police (PNP) organization presented last Monday were numbers that are certainly impressive — on paper. A reported 24.32 percent drop in “focus crimes” nationwide in January, from 3,236 cases last year to 2,449 this year, is a notable statistical achievement.
Murders, rapes, robberies, carnappings: all supposedly down, thanks, the PNP says, to efficient deployment, sharper operations, and community cooperation. These are facts the public must acknowledge. But facts, when stripped of context, can also mislead, and this is where the numbers begin to ring hollow. While the statistics may suggest progress, the past week alone offers seven deadly signs that crime on the ground tells a far more troubling story.
First, there is the Atong Ang case. A fugitive businessman tagged as the alleged mastermind behind the disappearance and killing of sabungeros remains at large, amid claims of attempted bribery and alleged protection. Whether denied or confirmed, the mere plausibility of such influence erodes public trust. Justice cannot be bought — but real-world events keep challenging that principle.
Second, the brutal murder of a policewoman and her eight-year-old son punctures any illusion of safety. This was not a crime of desperation but one marked by chilling cruelty, involving betrayal, children as witnesses, and the calculated disposal of bodies. If even those sworn to enforce the law — and their families — are not spared, what comfort do declining percentages offer?
Third, on the very day the PNP celebrated its numbers, a father-and-son drug den was busted in Sarangani. This underscores a stubborn reality: the drug trade remains deeply embedded at the community level, familial even, operating in spite of years of “intensified” campaigns.
Fourth, a criminology student, ironically training for law enforcement, was killed by a stray bullet in a Quezon City shootout. Caught in crossfire between armed men and the police, his death exposes the human cost of urban gun violence and raises uncomfortable questions about operational control and accountability.
Fifth, the PNP chief’s renewed directive against loose firearms came only after viral images of a rocket-propelled grenade ambush on a mayor. And, perhaps, only because that incredible attack in Maguindanao was caught on video and went viral. Reactive resolve, however welcome, betrays a problem long known and insufficiently contained.
Then, the sixth is the discovery of a missing saleslady’s decomposing body in La Union over the weekend. Again, this reminds us how many crimes still begin quietly, end violently, and remain unresolved for days, if not longer.
And seventh but not the least, the killing of an anti-narcotics cop — his body dumped in a septic tank in Malolos City, Bulacan — reveals rot within the ranks themselves, where guns, grudges, and impunity intersect.
Yes, the numbers paraded by the PNP paint an improving statistical record of crimes. But the stories told do not put the public’s heart at ease. These figures do not validate claims of a safer society untouched by crime. There is no peace if the PNP convinces itself it is doing its job right by patting itself on the back with statistics.
What it should do is fight crime like an extinguisher that knows no sacred cows— raid the sources, case-study repeat offenders, and confront those who have long enjoyed the technical favor of the law.
General Nartatez, do not rest on your laurels. Regardless of how the numbers flatter your organization’s pride, your real job is to go out there and pick a fight with the bad guys.
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