Samal-based scam: not surprising

This refers to the news item “Raffle, text scam on Samal Island” (Across the Nation, 11/19/14).

It does not surprise me that the raffle and text scam was operated from Samal Island. I have been a resident of Samal Island for several years and I have studied the culture there.

Historically, the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), Davao del Norte, was created to avoid the vigorous law enforcement of Davao City. Samal Island is about one kilometer from Davao City in Davao del Sur, but more than 50 km from Davao del Norte.

In my years on the island, I have repeatedly observed the lack of willingness on the part of residents to obey the law, and this is abetted by the lack of willingness on the part of law enforcement authorities—the police and city leadership—to enforce the law.

I have lived in all three districts of Igacos.

In Babak district, I rented a residential unit in a building only to find that there was a very loud karaoke bar in the same building. I learned later that it was a violation of law to put up a karaoke bar in a residential building or to have residential units in a commercial building. I reported the violation to the head of the police in the area. The result was, I was forced to meet with the policeman that owned the karaoke bar and defend myself.

I moved to Penaplata district, the capital of the city, and there found a resort that had a sign that clearly stated: “No drunks allowed.” On the first weekend of my stay there, the place was overrun by drunks; I asked the management to enforce its rules but they said it was dangerous to do so.

Then I moved to Kaputian district where I rented a nice small cottage on the beach near the wharf. There was a nice sidewalk connecting my place and the wharf, but it was crammed with motorcycles so that one had to walk on the muddy street. I went to the police headquarters to call their attention to it, and I was told by a police officer that, indeed, the sidewalk was for pedestrians and motorcycles were forbidden to park there. I asked the cop to please enforce the law and he said he would. The next day motorcycles still blocked the sidewalk, so I again went to the police headquarters and made the same request. The same officer attended to me, and he said he had told the motorcycle owners/drivers to park elsewhere but they would not obey him.

So, walking home, I shoved the motorcycles off the sidewalk onto the street where they belonged. Later, I was told by a senior policeman that I should not attempt to enforce the law by myself; they wouldn’t either as they lived there, and being liked by the citizens was more important to them than enforcing the law.

The same is true of the Philippine Coast Guard in Kaputian. Every day, coast guards allow overloaded ferries to sail to Davao City, with their exits blocked by cargo.

No doubt, the operators of the raffle and text scam were treated by law enforcers with the same level of tolerance for their crimes.

—ROWLAND LANE ANDERSON,
Veterans For Peace Mission to the Philippines, Davao City, [email protected]