The Philippine National Police (PNP recorded 149 criminal incidents involving female students, most of them were rape and acts of lasciviousness, from July to Aug. 31.
In a statement, the PNP said majority of the 149 incidents were rape cases that usually happened in Metro Manila.
"Other prevalent reported cases were Acts of Lasciviousness and violation of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004," the statement read.
The PNP, however, did not disclose specific data, especially if there was an increase on sexual assaults on female students.
But PNP chief Gen. Roldofo Azurin, Jr. said they released the figure not to scare the public but to warn them especially that the face-to-face classes have already started for almost all schools across the country.
He added that the incidents have already been forwarded to police commanders in order for them to come up with strategic deployment as part of crime prevention measures.
This comes, according to him, with coordination with school authorities to protect their respective students.
“Our intention is not to create panic but we caution the students to always be vigilant around their environment. When their parents tell them not to trust strangers, the children must take this seriously,” said Azurin.
“There is also strong coordination between the Education department and the PNP to work hand-in-hand in ensuring the safety of the children. Now that classes are returning to the in-person set-up, there is a greater challenge for the police officers to monitor closely the vicinity around learning institutions,” he added.
The PNP issued the data amid social media scare about people abducting women using vans and rape-slay cases, the recent was the case of Jovelyn Galleno who went missing and later found dead in Palawan.