Metro crime rate up due to food, oil crises - NCRPO

MANILA, Philippines - The crime rate in Metro Manila has gone up due to the increase in the prices of commodities, police authorities said. Citing data from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), GMA News' Marisol Abdurahman reported on QTV’s Balitanghali that more than 250 incidences of crime against property in Metro Manila have been recorded for the first half of July 2008 alone, with snatching as one of the most rampant. On the other hand, bank robberies in Metro Manila for January to July rose by 20 percent from last year’s 34 to this year’s 41, the report said. Carnapping incidents for the first quarter, meanwhile, rose by five percent from last year’s 375 to this year’s 392. NCRPO chief Director Geary Barias attributed the increase in crimes to the hike in prices of basic commodities, particularly fuel. "We’re already worried about (the) increase of incidence of crime against property," Barias said. Manila Police District (MPD) Station 8 commander Superintendent Jimmy Tiu echoed the statement. "Pag talagang mayron tayong mga increases in price o sa gasoline, sa presyo ng isda, e automatic nagincrease talaga yung panghoholdap saka snatching (If there are increases in prices, in gasoline, in fish prices, incidences of holdup and snatching automatically go up)," Tiu said. MPD Station 8 has the second-highest crime rate record among Manila police districts, with snatching and holdup as the top incidences. Sociologist and professor Clifford Sorita said crime rates naturally tend to rise in times of crisis. "Kung minsan para makakuha ng resources talagang they would have to fight for resources. So eventually ang problema, crime rates go up (Sometimes to acquire resources they would have to fight for resources. So eventually the problem is crime rates go up)," Sorita said. The television report further said that the National Statistics Office pegged the number of jobless Filipinos from January to March alone at three million. On Friday, Malacañang also blamed the food and fuel crisis for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s -38 net approval rating, her personal low and the lowest for a chief executive since 1986. - GMANews.TV