The peace and order situation in the country is still manageable according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) amid the series of kidnappings and killings that have been reported in the past weeks.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said some kidnapping incidents wherein the victims would end up dead in other areas are criminal incidents that are highlighted in the traditional and social media but are now being attended to by the police.
“There is no breakdown of law and order. The peace and order situation in the entire country is still manageable,” said Azurin.
“There are crimes that are highlighted in different platforms but definitely, the crime rate is still low and we continuously aspire to bring it down further,” he added.
The issue about peace and order in the country has been highlighted in the past days over a series of incidents of kidnappings and other high-profile crimes that include rape and murder.
In Batangas, a man who was forcibly taken by armed men in Taal town ended up dead in Quezon while four people were found dead inside an abandoned car in Rodriguez, Rizal on Monday, Aug. 22.
But some of the incidents were immediately resolved by the police, including the rape-slay case in Bulacan wherein the suspect was arrested in Camarines Sur while another suspect was arrested for another rape-slay case in Malabon.
Azurin, however, sees the positive side of the highlighted criminal incidents, saying they manifest the active participation of the people in reporting crime.
“The series of crimes were highlighted because this is the first time that the different sectors of the community are starting to report the crimes they would witness,” said Azurin.
“And we in the PNP are happy about it because it makes the start the investigation easier. The rescue and police assistance of the alleged victims are attended to because they are all over the media,” he added.