Crimes up, Mar down

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas must be one unhappy man these days despite his anointment by President Aquino as the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party in the 2016 elections.

This because the Philippine National Police (PNP) under its new chief Ricardo Marquez could not have chosen a worse time to report that crime incidents in the Philippines have skyrocketed by 46 percent from January to June this year.

A total of 7,245 murder cases while 8,288 rape cases were recorded nationwide in the first six months of 2015. The figures translate to 40 murders a day and 46 women being raped on a daily basis.

The statistics on other crimes like homicide and theft also increased horrendously compared to the same period of 2014.

As the Cabinet Secretary who directly oversees the PNP, Roxas, who concurrently serves as chair of the National Police Commission, has apparently failed to make the police stop the rising tide of criminality.

The people would naturally ask Roxas:  If you’re an utter failure as DILG Secretary and as a point-man in the government’s post-Yolanda rehabilitation effort, how can you even aspire for the presidency?

Like the latest PNP report on crime incidence, the UN’s scathing observation that the Philippine government has not done enough for the Yolanda victims could further diminish what little chance Roxas has of becoming president next year. –End-

Image by: Dino Acuna