Despite our continued exposure to an excess of high-profile or sensational crimes, the assassination of a judge still sends us reeling, still strikes us as deeply offensive. Why? Because we sense it for what it is: an attack on something fundamental, something basic, to our way of life.
Criminals riding in tandem strike again. It is time to enact a law and eradicate this problem with these provisions: 1. The police can check riding tandems but for not more than a minute to prevent corruption (kotong). 2. “Helmets” (the protective headgear required of motorcycle riders) must be colored white. 3. Helmets and motorcycles [...]
Yesterday’s (Thursday) front-page headline, “Stray bullet kills baby,” gave me a sense of déjà vu. I found the Jan. 2, 2013 front page of the Inquirer on the Internet and it read “Hunt for Marcos loot to end,” followed by a smaller headline, “Ranjilo dead, Nicole fights for life.” Ranjilo Nemer, 4, and Stephanie [...]
Much happened in Monday’s barangay elections to deepen popular cynicism about the corruptibility of Philippine politics.
We are gravely concerned about recent reports about more school-campus crimes targeting students and teachers. There should be a thorough investigation into these crimes, and no efforts should be spared to catch and prosecute the people behind them.
Something dangerous can happen to a society when people no longer trust their leaders because they perceive them to be no different from ordinary thieves except that they steal more and can buy respectability. If a nation cannot act resolutely to confront the problem and find a collective solution, the resulting demoralization and cynicism among its citizens could produce a climate conducive to crime. If lawmakers are perceived to be themselves lawbreakers, and the police are barely distinguishable from criminals, can we expect ordinary people to respect society’s norms?
It’s just another day in the life of Davao City. Cops have just gunned down suspected kidnappers.
While admitting that certain provisions of Republic Act No. 10175 are unconstitutional, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza maintained that the government needs to fight crimes committed on the Internet.
On Feb. 2, 2013, around 4 a.m., the boy-helper of my eldest son sleeping inside his service van was suddenly roused from sleep by a thud. Getting out of the van, which was parked in front of our house, the boy found the windshield of the van shattered by a stone. He also saw a group of teenage boys passing by.
Crimes these days have become much more rampant and in-your-face compared to how it was before. In the past, criminals were feared only at night, when it was dark and when most people were already home.
The Dec. 1, 2012, editorial on the Maguindanao massacre (“Crime Philippines?”) hit the proverbial nail on the head when it stressed an evident truth: Not only journalists but also ordinary citizens have been victimized by various forms of criminality in what appears to be a breakdown of law and order across the country.
Will 2013 usher in some pleasant improvements for the Philippines, or will it be just a repeat of 2010, 2011 and 2012? The past three years have been about economic gains, some of which can be traced to the previous administration’s initiatives—not new growth, just a continuation from the past. In 2012, the Aquino administration [...]
