DILG chief: Cops looking for carjackers' cohorts in govt

Carjacking syndicates are enjoying connections in government offices, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said Monday, adding that the ongoing police investigation is set to sever these ties and unmask the involved officials. Robredo, however, did not identify any government official or personnel pending the results of the investigation, but said they may be from agencies in charge of the registration of vehicles. "May information na tungkol dun pero mainam na wag muna pag-usapan. Makikita sa masusing imbestigasyon sino ba yung mga koneksyon sa ibang ahensiya ng pamahalaan," Robredo told reporters at a briefing in Malacañang. (We have information regarding that but we’d rather not talk about it first. The investigation will expose these connections between carjacking syndicates and people in certain government agencies.) He noted that carjacking operations will not flourish without help from those involved in registering vehicles. "Mahirap na lumago ang sindikato na walang ibang kasama. Hindi naman lalaki at lalaganap ang carnapping kung walang mga kasama nagrerehistro ng mga sasakyan." (Carnapping operations will not flourish without outside help, especially from those involved in the registration of vehicles.)

Prosecutors involved, too? Robredo said they will also look into the prosecutors and courts that handled the carnapping cases of Raymond Dominguez, suspect in the killing of car dealer Venson Evangelista, for a holistic approach on the problem. “Yung kasamang police titignan namin, yung prosecutors, ahensiya na nagrerehistro titignan namin. Kung ano po ang nangyari sa husgado titignan namin at kung kailangan kami makipag-ugnayan gagawin namin para yung dragnet buo hindi lang nanghuhuli," he said. (We will include the police, the prosecutors and the registration agency in our investigation. We will look at the courts, and we will coordinate with them so the buck doesn't stop with those who made the arrest.) Robredo, during the briefing, asked how Dominguez was granted temporary liberty when one of the 31 cases he is facing is non-bailable. Based on Robredo’s computation, Dominguez has shelled out some P4 million for his bail. “Halos 31 ang kaso, 20 dun carnapping. Yung isa no bail pero nakapag-bail. Ang ibig sabihin kailangan natin imbestigahan, siyasatin sino yung dahilan kung bakit sa kasong no bail, nakapag-bail. Bakit hindi ino-oppose ang motion to grant bail matapos ang maraming kaso na may bail," he said. (Twenty of the 31 cases were for carnapping. One was even non-bailable. But Dominguez was able to post bail. So there is a need to investigate this. How come nobody opposed the motion to grant bail.) Dominguez surrendered Saturday night to Bulacan police for fear of his life after being linked to the killing of Evangelista. The DILG chief also said they will be reviewing their protocols on the shipping of vehicles. Increased visibility To further address the supposed crime wave, Robredo said police have increased visibility not only in Metro Manila but in other urban cities. He said they have also asked the help of the local government units in utilizing their equipment and manpower such as barangay councils in promoting peace and order. Robredo expressed hope that the government will be able to reverse the perceived crime wave in two to three weeks and regain the confidence of the public. "We assume responsibility and accountability in so far as making sure that this what they call crime wave will be arrested and we would like to assure the public that police authorities are doing the best that they can just to make sure that we will not only arrest the perpetrators but at the same time prevent this from happening again," he said. He also assured the public that the police will not only focus on high profile crimes but street crimes as well. "Dapat hindi lang bikenapping, carnapping, lahat ng krimen ay tignan. Ang katahimikan ng isip ng mamamayan hindi namimili kung ano ang hihintuin, dapat lahat (The action should not be limited to bike-napping and carnapping. It should cover all crimes)," he said. He said the relief of police officials in Bulacan, Quezon City and Makati in connection with the carnapping cases was part of their effort to send a message to their men that they should be accountable for their areas. "Ang mensahe namin ay may malinaw na accountability sa mga nangyari. Gusto rin naming i-establish ano ba yung accountability ng iba pero ayaw naming manuro kaya we started with ourselves (The message here is the police should be accountable for what happened)," he said. The Philippine National Police (PNP) is under the direct supervision of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). — KBK.RSJ, GMANews.TV