ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider From Safer Cities to Safer Islands: Mimaropa posts 23% crime decline

From Safer Cities to Safer Islands: Mimaropa posts 23% crime decline

Published May 1, 2026 07:40 am

At A Glance

  • Police Brig. Gen. Jovencio Badua, director of the Police Regional Office 4B, said peace and order indicators dropped by 31.58 percent, while index crimes declined by 60.94 percent.
  • Separate data also showed that the total crime incidents decreased from 348 to 284, or 18.39 percent for the period March 15 to April 5, 2026, compared with April 6 to April 27, 2026.
Police Regional Office-Mimaropa regional director Police Brig, Gen. Jovencio Badua Jr.
Police Regional Office-Mimaropa regional director Police Brig, Gen. Jovencio Badua Jr.
Who says Safer Cities is only for Metro Manila and urban areas?
The peace and order initiative is working in Mimaropa with a 23 percent decline in crime incidents since the implementation of the program in the region on April 6, a top police official said in what he described as Safer Islands initiative
Police Brig. Gen. Jovencio Badua, director of the Police Regional Office 4B, said peace and order indicators dropped by 31.58 percent, while index crimes declined by 60.94 percent.
Index crimes include murder, physical injuries, theft, robbery and carnapping.
The figures covers April 6 to April 27 and used the same period for last year in Mimaropa (Mindoro Oriental and Occidental, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan).
Separate data also showed that the total crime incidents decreased from 348 to 284, or 18.39 percent for the period March 15 to April 5, 2026, compared with April 6 to April 27, 2026.
“We attribute this to intensified police visibility and stricter enforcement of local ordinances, following his directive for all units to maximize 24/7 presence in areas of convergence,” said Badua.
He explained that Safer Cities/Islands focuses on increasing police presence, strengthening coordination with local government units, and ensuring consistent enforcement of ordinances as part of broader efforts to maintain peace and order.
Badua explained that increased police visibility and stricter enforcement of local regulations serve as key deterrents against major crimes, while leadership presence on the ground reinforces operational standards and public confidence.
He emphasized the need to sustain the operations through police visibility and strict implementation of local ordinances.
Badua then directed commanders to personally supervise checkpoints and enforcement operations to ensure discipline, consistency and effectiveness.
The directive was issued to all provincial and city directors, battalion commanders, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion and Regional Staff, emphasizing sustained police presence in public areas, particularly during high-risk periods.
He also ordered the Regional Operations Center (ROC) to publish daily data on the results of the Safer Cities/Islands drive across provincial and city police offices to strengthen transparency and accountability.
While the Safer Cities focuses on urban areas and tapped Metro Manila as a pilot area, Badua said the Safer Islands drive reflects the region’s geographic realities, with Mimaropa composed largely of island provinces.
“This underscores the need for policing strategies that address both urban centers and geographically isolated communities,” said Badua.
The Safer Cities/Islands focuses on increasing police presence, strengthening coordination with local government units, and ensuring consistent enforcement of ordinances as part of broader efforts to maintain peace and order.
Badua said the intensified measures aim to ensure that communities remain safe and that the public continues to feel secure through a visible and responsive police presence.

Related Tags

Mimaropa Safer Cities
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.