Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, PRO-7 spokesperson, said that they recorded a drop of 40% in the crime rate in Central Visayas during Kalag-Kalag. | Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The crime rate in Central Visayas dropped by 40 percent during this year’s observance of Kalag-Kalag,
Police also described the celebration in the region as generally ‘safe and secured’.
“We are very happy to report na this Undas 2023 is one of the safest and most secured celebrations in recent years,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) told reporters on Friday, November 3.
According to Pelare, this year’s Kalag-Kalag is one of the most peaceful.
He also said that they recorded a 40% drop in the number of crime incidents that happened from October 31 to November 2 in the whole region.
READ: Kalag-Kalag 2023: 192K people visited cemeteries in Cebu Province on All Saints’ Day
“Makita nato sa atong crime monitoring, we have recorded a 40 percent decrease in crimes compared to previous years. Karon we have recorded only 19 incidents,” stated Pelare.
During Kalag-Kalag 2022, a total of 35 crime incidents were recorded in Central Visayas while there are only 19 incidents this year. Among these incidents, 8 were cases of petty theft according to Pelare.
He added that all of these crime incidents were not related to the observance of Kalag-Kalag and that none of them transpired inside cemeteries.
This drop, according to Pelare, shows that the preparation and deployment plan implemented by the various security forces were effective in maintaining peace and order in the region during the holidays.
Pelare also said that this achievement was because of the continued efforts of all the security forces assigned and the willingness of the public to cooperate for their own safety.
“Nakita nato nga proactive kaayo ang presensya sa atong security sector. Not only the police but this is a joint security coverage and operation between Armed Forces of the Philippines, the PNP, the Philippine Coastguard, the Bureau of Fire Protection,” he stated
“Nakita sad gud nato nga ang katawhan sa Central Visayas, they are very cooperative. Generally, they are peace-loving individuals and they just visit the cemeteries. Walay mga illegal nga gibuhat,” added Pelare.
READ: Police: 62,000 visited cemeteries in Lapu-Lapu City during Kalag-Kalag
It can be recalled that 3 shooting incidents took place in Cebu City in recent days.
On Tuesday evening, October 31, a former security guard was fatally shot in Barangay Kalunasan.
One day later, another victim, an e-bike driver, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Sitio Puntod Alaska in Barangay Mambaling.
A bus conductor also lost his life after two assailants shot him in front of a garage in the same barangay on the same day.
Despite these crime incidents, Pelare said that these did not affect the peace and order situation in the region in relation to the Kalag-Kalag.
“Kining tulo ka shooting incidents did not affect the peace and order setup during the Undas. Unya good thing is puro ni either solved or cleared,” he stated.
“We extend our condolences katong sa family sa victim and our assurance is that we will solve this case. We will arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible,” added Pelare.
Lower crime rates are rare during Kalag-Kalag as most criminals strike during this holiday when most people go out of their homes to visit cemeteries.
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