ILOILO City – Crime incidents in Western Visayas declined 81.1 percent from the start of the election period on April 14 until the election day on May 14, according to the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6.
This is compared to the last barangay polls held on Sept. 28 to Oct. 28 in 2013.
Superintendent Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokeswoman, on Wednesday said crimes during the one-month period totaled 477, which is 2,047 lower than the 2,524 cases recorded during the 2013 polls.
Malong added that all eight focus crimes decreased – murder was down 27.08 percent, homicide, 59.57 percent, physical injury, 83.56 percent, rape, 58.33 percent, robbery, 76.44 percent, theft, 85.18 percent, and car and motorcycle theft, 78.26 percent.
Most crimes this year were recorded in Negros Occidental with 105. Iloilo province followed with 82.
Next is Iloilo City with 68, Capiz with 62, Bacolod City, 60, Aklan, 55, Antique 34, and Guimaras, 11.
Lawyer Tomas Valera, assistant regional director of the Commission on Elections, attributed the peaceful conduct of elections to the security deployment of PRO-6, Philippine Army and other law enforcement agencies.
PRO-6 deployed 8,511 augmentation forces to secure the elections in the region.
It also temporarily reassigned 432 of its personnel with relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity running during the elections.
Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag said they are evaluating the status on the ground so they could recall these cops to their original posts.
“If there is no more problem, we will bring them back,” he said. (With PNA/PN)
