ILOILO City — While overall “focus crimes” in Western Visayas dropped by 15.67 percent in the first quarter of 2026, a sharp increase in murder cases is prompting police to tighten operations and reassess strategies to address emerging threats.
Data from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed that focus crime incidents declined from 434 cases in the same period in 2025 to 366 cases this year — a reduction of 68 incidents.
Focus crimes include physical injuries, murder, homicide, rape, robbery, theft, car theft, motorcycle theft, cybercrime, and kidnapping.
Breakdown of the data revealed significant declines in several categories. Theft cases dropped from 121 to 102, rape cases plunged from 110 to 53, physical injuries decreased from 90 to 81, and homicide cases went down from 28 to 15. Cybercrime incidents were also reduced from 10 to four.
However, murder cases rose notably from 22 in 2025 to 37 in 2026, tempering the gains made in other crime categories and raising concerns over violent crime.
According to PRO-6 director,
Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, the improved performance of provincial and city police units reflects the effectiveness of intensified law enforcement operations.
Ligan attributed the overall decline to sustained police visibility, intelligence-driven operations, and strengthened collaboration with communities.
“The reduction in focus crimes reflects our intensified and strategic law enforcement efforts, as well as the active support of our communities. While we are encouraged by these gains, we remain vigilant, especially in areas where increases were noted,” said Ligan.
He further emphasized that PRO-6 will sustain aggressive crime prevention measures, strengthen partnerships with stakeholders, and maintain high police visibility to address emerging threats and ensure public safety./PN
