More "Isolated Incidents" In The Philippines

Every single time a horrible crime happens the PNP makes the bizarre decision to comfort the public by saying, "Don't Panic. This is an isolated incident." Let's look at two of these recent isolated incidents. 

https://mb.com.ph/2025/3/16/killing-of-slovakian-tourist-in-boracay-an-isolated-incident-police

The Police Regional Office-6 said that the killing of a Slovakian tourist at world-famous Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province is an isolated incident.

“We are considering this as an isolated incident,” said Police Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, PRO-6 chief.

Police continue to hunt for the suspects in the killing of Michaela Mickova whose body was discovered on March 12.

The 23-year-old tourist was originally declared missing and she was found half-naked with a stab wound to the stomach in an abandoned chapel.

Wanky visited the crime scene last week and ordered the Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO) and the Malay Municipal Police Station (Malay MPS) to prioritize the investigation.

Police Lt. Col. Mar Joseph Ravelo, Malay police chief, denied reports that one of the suspects have been arrested. 

Ravelo said that the suspect was caught selling an illegal firearm last Saturday night.

He said on Sunday, March 16, that the suspect arrested in Barangay Balabag had nothing to do with her death.

Police Col. Arnel Ramos, Aklan police chief, assured the resort-island remains to be a safe destination.

“Boracay Island remains a safe and secure tourist destination. We are steadfast in our commitment to maintain public safety and order, especially for tourists,” Ramos said.

In this case it might very well be an isolated incident. There aren't many murders being reported in Boracay. But obviously tourists are concerned because a murder did happen. But how does dismissing what happened reassure anyone? 

Instead of saying "were on it" they are saying forget about it. It's an isolated incident. Go back to sleep. Please keep spending those tourist dollars and pesos in Boracay.  Salamat po." That is not reassuring. 

This next case is even more messed up.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/04/12/2435381/pnp-fil-chinese-traders-stay-calm

In the wake of the recent kidnap-slay of Filipino-Chinese steel magnate Anson Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil assured members of the Filipino-Chinese community of their safety and security.

Marbil and other senior PNP officials met with representatives of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) at Camp Crame yesterday to address concerns within the Filipino-Chinese community following the kidnapping cases that have raised worries within the business sector and the general public.

The PNP has documented 13 kidnapping cases since January. Eight of the incidents involved Chinese nationals as victims.

Marbil assured the FFCCCII that the PNP is exerting all efforts to arrest Que’s killers and suspects in other kidnapping cases as he urged the federation members to stay calm.

“We are mobilizing all investigative assets and leveraging every capability to ensure these incidents do not recur,” Marbil said in a statement.

The PNP and FFCCCII have agreed to establish a collaborative program focused on proactive measures to detect potential threats.

Among these are enhancing coordination with territorial police units, strengthening surveillance efforts in key business hubs and providing safety briefings to member companies and communities.

Marbil maintained that the country remains safe for business and travel despite Que’s killing, stressing the PNP remains vigilant and responsive to any threat to peace and order.

“We call for calm and unity. These isolated incidents do not define our nation,” he said.

The federation along with several other business groups issued a strongly worded statement last Thursday, decrying Que’s murder and saying the recent kidnappings are not “isolated incidents.”

They demanded “swift and unrelenting” action as they rejected “empty platitudes, the hollow theories, the bureaucratic inertia that too often follow such horrors.”

“We call for an unyielding reinforcement of the rule of law – not through rhetoric, but through resolute, systemic reform,” the groups declared.

Special task force

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said an inter-agency task force will be created to handle kidnapping cases.

Remulla said the task force will be composed of the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the PNP, National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Immigration.

“The creation of the task force is paramount. The aim here is to have a higher visibility, leadership that people can talk to if there is a problem,” he said at a press conference, noting that a lot of people have doubts about law enforcement.

Remulla said hotlines will be set up where people can call in tips, report crimes and whatever else the community may need.

The Supreme Court will also be asked to create special courts to handle kidnapping cases.

Remulla said the creation of the task force will be “drawn up” and the result will be announced next week.

POGO henchmen

A group of Chinese nationals acting as henchmen of illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) are being investigated for their possible involvement in the murder of Que and his driver.

The special investigation task group formed by the PNP is looking at the group’s connection with Que’s killing as their signature is the same as other killings they allegedly perpetrated.

Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, said the way Que and his driver were killed is similar to the fate of another Chinese national and his driver who were killed and his body dumped somewhere in Rizal province sometime in 2024.

Que and Pabillo were found hogtied, their faces covered in duct tape and their bodies placed inside a nylon sack in Barangay Macabud in Rodriguez, Rizal on Wednesday morning.

They were killed by strangulation, similar to the two other victims last year.

“There is similarity in another incident involving also a Chinese national last year, we may be looking at the same modus operandi,” Fajardo said at a news briefing in Camp Crame.

The Chinese nationals were tagged by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission as the muscle group of POGO operators.

Fajardo said the group’s function is to threaten people who owe POGO operators money. “They are the ones who collect allegedly from those who have debts in relation to POGO operations,” she said.

At a previous briefing, Fajardo said they are looking at whether Que’s death is related to POGOs but she did not elaborate.

Members of the muscle group were also used by POGO operators to torture employees who fail to reach their daily quota, with some incidents caught on video.

While the SITG has yet to establish the number of suspects in Que’s murder, Fajardo said it could not have been executed by just two or three persons.

‘Don’t mock kidnappings’

Meanwhile, Malacañang asked Honeylet Avanceña, the common-law wife of detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, not to mock the recent spate of deadly kidnappings in the country.

At a press briefing yesterday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro was asked to comment on Avanceña’s apparently sarcastic statement congratulating the Marcos administration for the recent spate of high-profile kidnappings and killings.

“We do not make fun of this kind of a situation. For Ms. Honeylet Avanceña, please don’t create an issue because lives are at stake here. Lives were lost. Do not make an issue and make fun of the government,” Castro said in Filipino.

“We don’t know why Ms. Honeylet has this attitude. It’s as if she is happy that there are incidents like these in the country,” Castro said.

Low crime rate

House assistant majority leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong defended the PNP’s report showing a decline in the national crime rate, adding that Que’s case should not be used to discredit nationwide data.

“One incident cannot just overrun and overhaul the data gathered by the PNP,” Adiong said.

According to PNP chief Marbil, their data show a 26.76 percent drop in focus crimes –  from 4,817 cases between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14, 2024 down to 3,528 in the same period this year.

Year-on-year data also reflected a 7.31-percent decrease in focus crimes, from 41,717 cases in 2023 to 38,667 in 2024.

“We call for calm and unity. These isolated incidents do not define our nation"???

Sorry not sorry but there have been 13 kidnapping incidents since January eight which have involved Chinese victims. That is called a trend. And yet the PNP says these are all isolated incidents which "do not define our nation." LOL! Who are Chinese nationals supposed to unify around? 

Maybe these are all isolated incidents and the crime rate is plummeting. But these words don't comfort anyone. Especially the Chinese who are regularly targeted by...THE CHINESE! They can thank Duterte for legalizing POGO's.

The point here is the PNP very quick to dismiss heinous crimes as something to not be worried about. Their motive is not factual but an attempt to calm the public and retain tourist dollars. That is very disingenuous. 

Kidnapped American Vlogger Elliot Onil Eastman Has Been Confirmed Dead

Well, it's finally over for American vlogger Elliot Eastman. Actually it was over right after it started. If you recall Eastman was shot in the leg as he resisted his captors. Turns out he bled to death and on the getaway boat he was cast overboard.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/5/eastman-shot-dead-by-abductors-police

American kidnap victim Elliot Eastman was killed by his abductors, a statement released by the Police Regional Office-9 here said on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The PRO-9 said Eastman’s death on the night he was abducted was based on information provided by witnesses.

Witnesses said that Eastman sustained two bullet wounds when he tried to resist his captors.  

He reportedly died on board the motor banca used by the kidnappers to escape and his body was thrown overboard by his captors when they realized that he had died.

Eastman’s body remains missing, the PRO-9 said.

The Critical Incident Management Task Group-Eastman filed complaints for kidnapping and serious illegal detention last Oct. 29 against his four kidnappers.

Authorities arrested one of the suspects on Nov. 18 while two remain on the run.

Investigation is still ongoing for the resolution of the case, PRO-9 said.

He was probably shot in the femoral artery. Why did they even shoot him? They could have hit him or something. Did they not realize he was worthless dead? Did they try to render aid? Was killing him the goal? Lots of unanswered questions here and also there is no body.

If you also recall not only did Eastman mention several times in his vlogs that there were threats to kidnap him but the PNP also warned him to leave the area because it was dangerous.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/601457/missing-us-vlogger-he-was-repeatedly-warned-to-avoid-zamboanga-area

Elliot Onil had been cautioned due to reports of abductions in the municipality of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte and nearby towns, said Lt. Col. Helen Galvez, Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Police Office spokesperson.

“Perhaps, first of all, what we observed is his vulnerability. Because despite warnings from our local police that he should not stay in the area, he still insisted on staying. That area is very near the sea,” Galvez said over radio dwPM.

Galvez said Eastman’s vlogging made him vulnerable from abductors.

“According to our local police, they repeatedly warned him but he really wanted to stay, he kept on going back to the area while vlogging the locality where he was in,” Galvez said.

May this be a lesson to all foreigners to stay far away from Mindanao. It has been declared a no-go zone by several countries for a reason. Stop listening to the AFP, PNP, and Becoming Filipino about how safe Mindanao is. 

Hi, My Name is...54

Babies are the future of any society. But maybe in the Philippines that is not the case. These kinds of stories might encourage the pro-abortion crowd as abortion remains illegal in the Philippines. In the meantime there is always abandonment.

Hi, my name is 9-month-old baby. After 9 months of having me around my mother decided she did not want me anymore. So, she put me in a bag and left me on inside a tricycle like trash. In fact the tricycle driver told the authorities he though I was trash. When the doctors examined me they found out I was malnourished which means my mother had not been giving me the food I need. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/520921/9-month-old-baby-abandoned-in-lapu-lapu

The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) is now conducting backtracking to identify the person responsible for abandoning a 9-month-old baby near a boutique in Barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City on Saturday evening, August 5, 2023.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Christian Torres, chief of the City Investigation Detection and Management Unit (CIDMU), said that they are now reviewing the CCTV cameras near the area where the baby was abandoned.

On Saturday, a tricycle driver turned over the baby girl to the barangay hall.

Torres said that based on their investigation, the tricycle driver told them that someone left the baby in his tricycle unit.

The baby was placed inside an eco-bag.

At first, the tricycle driver thought that it was just trash. The driver was about to throw the eco-bag but was shocked to find out that a baby was inside it.

“Swerte nalang gyud to kay pag-aksyon niya ug butang, nilihok ang bata,” Torres said.

(He was lucky because when he was about to throw the bag, the baby moved.)

The baby is currently admitted at the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital for treatment after they found out that it was malnourished. 

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) provided the needs of the infant.

“Possible sad nga dili taga dinha ang nagbilin,” he added.

(It is possible that the one who left it is not from there.)

Aside from identifying the person who abandoned the baby, Torres said that they are also trying to identify the parents, who may face charges for abandoning their child.

Hi, my name is newborn baby. At 4:00 a.m. just after giving birth to me my mother abandoned me in a tricycle. Luckily the driver saw what she did and rescued me. I was so newborn my placenta was still attached. The driver did not chase after my mother. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/22/newborn-baby-placenta-still-attached-abandoned-in-tricycle-in-rosario-cavite

A newborn infant with a placenta still attached was abandoned in a parked tricycle in Barangay Tejeros Convention in Rosario.

Rosario Public Information Officer Sid Samaniego told the Manila Bulletin that the infant has been officially turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday, Aug. 22.

Early morning on Saturday, Aug. 17, a tricycle driver named Mac Leonardo Dela Cruz discovered the abandoned baby. 

At around 4:00 a.m., Dela Cruz reportedly saw a woman wearing a yellow shirt and pink jogging pants enter a parked tricycle nearby.

A few hours later, Dela Cruz approached the tricycle and saw a newborn infant alone inside, crying and covered in blood.

Dela Cruz sought help from the authorities, and the baby was immediately taken to the Rosario Maternity and Medical Emergency Clinic (RMMEC) for a check-up and medical treatment.

To ensure the baby is in good health, the infant remained under the care of RMMEC until the doctors confirmed the baby was ready for turnover to the DSWD.

Authorities, meanwhile, are backtracking CCTV footage to net the suspect who abandoned the baby.

Hi, my name is dead newborn baby. After giving birth to me my mother abandoned me in a vacant lot. She did not even bother to cut my umbilical cord. After several days the locals noticed a foul stench but did not pay any attention because it is the Philippines and the air always smells. But then the smell became unbearable and that is when a resident found my rotting remains. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/25/newborn-baby-s-remains-dumped-in-vacant-lot

The decomposing body of a newborn baby boy was found in a vacant lot in Purok Celita, Barangay Alijis here on August 21. 

Police Capt. Greeky Cayao, head of Police Station 7, said residents noticed foul odor in the area for several days but paid no attention to the stench. 

A resident checked the area when the smell became unbearable and found the body. 

The baby had an umbilical cord attached to him when he was found. 

Cayao said the baby might have been in the area for three days when he was discovered. 

Police said it is unclear if the baby was alive or dead when he was abandoned. 

Cayao said the baby was subjected to autopsy to determine the cause of death and was later buried.

Hi, my name is abandoned newborn baby boy. After giving birth to me my mother quickly abandoned me. She was so quick that she did not cut my umbilical cord. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/3/abandoned-newborn-baby-boy-found-in-quezon

An abandoned newborn baby boy was found on Monday, September 2, in Purok 7, Barangay Santo Cristo, this town. 

Police said that Susan Vegas Angeles, 44, a resident, found the infant whose umbilical cord was still attached.

He was taken to the Sariaya lying-in clinic in Barangay Concepcion and later transferred to the United Candelaria Doctors Hospital in Candelaria, Quezon for further medical attention.

Police are looking for his mother and have coordinated with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for documentation and assistance.

Hi, my name is 11-month-old baby. My father did not want me so he decided to sell me for 55,000 pesos. The NBI was tipped off and they arrested him. Now I will grow up in the care of the Social Services Development Department of the Quezon City.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/18/father-arrested-charged-for-selling-his-11-month-old-baby

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) slapped a Quezon City father of a human trafficking charge after he was arrested in the act of selling his 11-month- old baby for P55,000.

Charged before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office was Kenneth Crisologo who was arrested last Sept. 3 during an entrapment operation conducted by agents of the NBI's Special Task Force (NBI-STF).

The NBI said "the case stemmed from an information received by the NBI-STF that Subject Crisologo is engaged in selling his own child online.”

“NBI-STF operatives were able to engage with Subject Crisologo, who confirmed that Subject was indeed selling a baby in exchange for P55,000,” it said.

“With this development, NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago instructed the operatives of NBI-STF to conduct an entrapment operation to arrest the Subject,” it added.

The entrapment operation was conducted in barangay (village) Pag-asa, Quezon City that “resulted in the arrest of Subject Crisologo in the act of selling his 11-month old child.”

After Crisologo's arrest, the NBI said the child was turned over to the Social Services Development Department of the Quezon City.

Hi, my name is 7-month old baby. I used to sleep in the same bed as my parents. At the foot of the bed they kept a pail full of water which they used to wash me. For some reason the pail was always full. In the middle of the night I rolled off the bed and into the pail where I drowned. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/21/baby-boy-drowns-after-falling-into-bucket-of-water

A seven-month-old baby boy died after he drowned in a pail of water in their house in Barangay Sum-ag here on Monday, Oct. 21. 

Police Master Sgt. Rutthan Guardafe, chief investigator of Police Station 9, said the victim’s parents discovered their son drowning around 7:30 a.m. 

Guardafe said that the victim’s parents would often put a pail at the end of their bed to enable them to easily clean their son. 

The victim’s parents suspect that their son might rolled over their bed and fell into the pail. 

The baby was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

Hi, my name is unborn baby. My father's friend came over and showed off his .38 caliber pistol. All of a sudden the gun went off and hit my mother in the abdomen. The bullet killed me instantly. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/3/unborn-baby-killed-in-accidental-firing-in-cadiz-city

An eight-month-old unborn baby was killed by a stray bullet in Purok Zone 4, Barangay VF Gustilo, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on All Souls’ Day.

Police said that a 35-year-old man was showing his .38 caliber revolver to his friend with his 34-year-old live-in partner nearby when the firearm accidentally discharged and hit the abdomen of the woman.

The victim was taken to a hospital here but the baby did not survive. 

The man surrendered to a barangay official and was arrested by the police on Sunday, Nov. 3.

He turned over the firearm with five bullets and a fired cartridge.

Police Lt. Col. John Joel Batusbatusan, Cadiz police chief, said that both parties have discussed a settlement as they considered it as a case of accidental firing.

However, he said the man may still face charges for illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

Hi, my name is six-year-old daughter. I am not a baby but close enough. My father accused me of stealing a bracelet and cash from a neighbor. Instead of asking me what happened he stabbed me to death. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/21/father-stabs-6-year-old-daughter-to-death-in-surigao-del-norte

Police arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly assaulting and stabbing his six-year-old daughter to death in Mainit town, Surigao del Norte province on Tuesday night, Nov. 19.

Surigao del Norte Police Provincial Police Office (PPO) Director Police Col. Nilo T. Texon, in a report on Thursday, Nov. 21, to Police Regional Office-13 Director Police Brig. Gen. Alan M. Nazarro, said the victim was accused of stealing a bracelet and cash from a neighbor. 

The suspect confronted the victim when she arrived home at 7 p.m. The suspect assaulted and stabbed the victim with a locally made knife called sundangay in the body. 

She was taken to a hospital in Mainit where she was declared dead. The suspect fled but was arrested by the police in a follow-up operation. 

Texon vowed justice for the victim.  

"The Surigao del Norte police remain unwavering in their commitment to ensure justice is swiftly served in this heartbreaking case,” he said, adding, “We urge everyone to remain vigilant and to foster an environment where children can grow up free from violence and harm, and let this incident remind us all of our shared responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of our community." 

PRO 13-Regional Public Information Office chief Police Major Jennifer S. Ometer said the suspect is under the custody of the local police for proper disposition and awaiting the filing of appropriate case.

American Kidnapped in Zamboanga del Norte

An American man living in Zamboanga del Norte was recently kidnapped by an unknown group of armed men posing as police officers. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/10/18/2393511/american-national-kidnapped-zamboanga-del-norte

Authorities are in hot pursuit of kidnappers who abducted an American national in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, police said on Friday, October 18.

In the "Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon" public briefing, P/Lt. Col. Helen Galvez of the Regional Public Information Office, Police Regional Office IX, said they are still tracking down the 26-year-old American national, who was kidnapped from their home on Thursday night.

The victim, Elliot Onil Eastman, who is married to a local, had been staying in the country for five months. According to a statement from local police, assailants broke into the home of the spouse’s parents and abducted Eastman.

The victim initially resisted and was shot by the assailants, who then took the American onto a boat and escaped via the sea.

“Our hot pursuit operations are ongoing, focusing on the last known route of the boat carrying the victim. We are also coordinating with our counterparts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to assist in the possible rescue of the abducted victim,” Galvez said.

Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) ordered all of its units in Basilan and Sulu to guard against the possible entry of the kidnappers and their American captive.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of PRO-BAR, told reporters on Friday afternoon that they have received reports indicating that Eastman was taken away from Sitio Tungawan in Barangay Poblacion, Sibuco, by his abductors using a watercraft that sailed towards Sulu.

"We have alerted our units in Basilan and Sulu about that, and our personnel are guarding the beachfronts there very tightly," Macapaz said.

The assailants have not yet made any ransom demands, Galvez said.

“This is an isolated case in the area of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, and it does not affect the general peace and order of the entire region,” she said.

Despite this, Galvez mentioned that Region IX is on heightened alert.

The kidnappers were seen speeding away towards Sulu which means they are likely remnants of Abu Sayyaf. Note that P/Lt. Col. Helen Galvez says this is an isolated case that "does not affect the general peace and order of the entire region."

What a joke. 

While this may be the first kidnapping case in a number of years it is surely indicative of the volatile nature of the region. Take from Elliot Onil Eastman himself. He has posted several videos admitting he is the only foreigner living in one of the most dangerous areas in the Philippines. 

https://www.youtube.com/@ElliotBeastman

Hello everyone I’m Elliot Eastman, I am 26 years old and I came to the Philippines about a year and half ago where I met the love of my life deep in the mountains of the red zone of the Philippines. Zamboanga del Norte is a recently developed area of the Philippines that was once only accessible by boat. I will be showing you my day to day life as the first and only foreigner to have ever lived here in sibuco for a long period of time. I am from the USA! 💪 

You can send me a donation at PayPal of Venmo where I receive 100% of donations or on YouTube super chats and Buy Me A Coffee where I will receive 66%. Thank you so much

Living in the Philippines most dangerous area as an American.

53:10 No, no tourists ever come here. I've never seen one except maybe from Arabia or Saudi Arabia or something. Yeah. No one has ever visited this area. I'm like the first one who ever, well, I think there's been people who have visited but they only stay like a day. They only stay for a quick minute to visit and then they move on. But me, I've been living here for months this trip and in the past I've lived here six total. I've probably lived here like a whole year in total in my life. I've never seen any other Foreigner here cuz it's dangerous. It's a dangerous area.

1:03:45 if I have my license here I can drive but my license just expired from the US uh I don't know if my license was good from the US I could probably be still driving but it just barely expired so kind of sucks can't really drive right now I'm finished yes my business business um yeah expired in the US it expired in the US so I think if it was still good I could probably drive here but it's already expired so yeah I need that for if I was going to go back to the states to do that I'd have to get my life I'd have to renew renew my license maybe I'm going to go to the stat soon yeah yeah it's very possible maybe yeah but not only just for that just to like I don't even know there's a lot of reasons why I could go I would want to go back there's a lot of reasons to stay here but there's also a lot of reasons to go back so it's ah I don't know TR try to think about for Christmas maybe yeah oh my go cute the beach yep certainly I'll miss the beach but yeah I don't know obviously this place isn't the most safe place for like somebody like me

I opened a store in the most dangerous part of the Philippines for foreigners to live

18:17 Yeah, it's kind of scary like sometimes at night times, but you know yeah is what it is. Some people, like, you hear, like, all they're planning to come kidnap me or what not. Like people sometimes maybe are trying to make a plan to kidnap me or whatever trying to get me for ransom or whatever trying to make some money out of me or whatever. But I don't know. It is what it is. Right now I feel pretty safe. But you never really know. This is going to like a scary little bit. 

That last video was posted on August 28th, 2024. A mere month and a half before he was ultimately shot and kidnapped. An event he said he had heard people discussing. 

And the PNP call this an isolated incident which "does not affect the general peace and order of the entire region." How ridiculous. 

This is, of course, a developing story so there will be more to come as events unfold.

PNP Refuses to Prosecute Davao Cops Who Falsified Crime Statistics

A few months ago 19 Davao City cops were reassigned for unknown reasons. Now that reason has finally come to light. They covered up crime statistics by falsifying police blotters.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1969335/police-director-finds-doctored-police-blotter-in-davao-city

The misreporting of police blotters to sanitize Davao City’s real crime statistics was among the reasons for the reassignment of 19 police station commanders here, Police Brig. General Nicolas Torre III, director of Police Regional Office 11, said on Sunday.

Torre showed to reporters two books of police blotters that the blotter validation officer recovered from the Calinan police station shortly after he assumed office in June.

Both books of blotter, covering 2022 to 2023, appeared identical although some entries contained in the first book did not appear in the other.

Randomly skimming through the entries of one of the books, Torre read an entry on lost items last March 2, when a certain Jessica Galleros Jawa, 29, reported that her dark blue sling bag containing her wallet, debit card, and several IDs, was missing and believed to be stolen in Beep Plaza near Jollibee Calinan.

Instead of marking it as theft, the entry was reported only as a “lost item” and was marked “for recording purposes.”

“[They put there] ‘lost item,’ so that you don’t have to put that in the crime statistics pero kung binasa mo (but if you read it), it says, ‘it’s believed to be stolen inside Beep Plaza’ so, that’s theft. It’s not recorded so, peaceful pa rin ang Davao City. Dinoktor,” Torre said.

(So Davao City is still peaceful. It was misreported.)

Torre said it is important to report the crime correctly so that the police could take necessary actions about it.

“By misreporting it, or reporting it as if the crime did not happen, the police cannot put in place programs to address the problem. You can’t deploy operatives in the area because you can’t see it in the record, ” he added.

Torre noted that several entries in the book, which could have been reported as petty crimes, were only reported as “for the record,” which meant they were not included in the city’s crime statistics.

In another entry, at 12:30 a.m. also on March 2, a complainant reported how a drunk 22-year old resident of Purok 35 Lagazo Calinan district had a heated confrontation with her and had grabbed a knife in the middle of their argument, prompting her to call the police.

Although the police briefly took custody of the youth, the incident was tagged merely as “for [the] record, when it could possibly lead to more serious crimes,” Torre said.

He added that they discovered the sanitized books of blotter during their blotter validation, a standard procedure within the police force, but the police considered misreporting the blotter as a serious offense that could lead to dismissal from service as it constitutes false reporting and perjury.

“There’s a criminal case for it,” Torre said.

However, he said he would no longer pursue any further cases against the police station commanders involved.

Police Brig. General Nicolas Torre III, director of Police Regional Office 11, admits these 19 police commanders committed "a serious offense that could lead to dismissal from service as it constitutes false reporting and perjury" and yet he is no longer pursuing "any further cases against the police station commanders involved."

Why not?  

So much for PNP reform. So much for rooting out the bad apples. This lack of action sends a clear message that cops can get away with not only breaking the law but endangering the public by falsifying crime statistics.  

New DOJ Rules Allow Prosecutors to Investigate Crimes

The criminal justice system in the Philippines is fundamentally broken at every level. However, it seems there might be some hope yet as the DOJ has passed new rules allowing prosecutors to finally do their jobs. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1229731

Reforms undertaken by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the preliminary investigation process will protect the innocent from unwarranted charges and ensure that the guilty will be made to answer for their crimes, a senior DOJ official said Wednesday.

“The newly-signed Department of Justice – National Prosecution Service (DOJ-NPS) Rules on Criminal Investigation virtually changed the landscape in criminal investigation and prosecution by ensuring there is a higher degree of proof, there is a quantum of proof or evidence needed for the filing of cases," Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said during the 2024 Post State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussions.

The DOJ-NPS 2024 was signed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla at the Kalayaan Hall in Macalañang on July 10, with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as witness.

Under the new rules, the standard of proof was raised from probable cause to prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.

Vasquez said the new rules also call for more immersive participation by prosecutors in the investigation phase to ensure quality indictments and help weed out harassment suits.

"This is to ensure that only quality cases are filed, one that is supported by evidence, real, testimonial, and other corroborative witnesses, in order that the wrongdoers or criminals would really be brought to bear before the bar of justice, but at the same time, and more importantly, it is also assures that the innocents need not needlessly be charged in court nor incarcerated," he said.

"We will also try to formalize the close coordination between law enforcement and the prosecution in order that only trial-ready and evidence-supported cases will be filed."

Vasquez also pointed out that efforts have been initiated for the establishment of a Forensic Institute, which would make investigations science-based, in terms of criminal investigations and prosecutions.

"This is also useful in terms of calamity and disaster control because, with the higher capacity of our doctors and medical practitioners in terms of forensic science, we would be able to determine the real causes of death," he said.

Under these new rules prosecutors will now participate more in the investigation phase. What have prosecutors been doing all this time? Marcos says not only will prosecutors participate more in the investigation phase but they will lead it.

https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/pbbm-welcomes-signing-of-doj-nps-rules-on-criminal-investigation/

The President said the new rules and procedures will ensure fairness and due process as the government protects its citizens.

“Through this, all prosecutors are now empowered to take the lead in criminal investigations, ensuring that there is proper and sufficient case build-up before filing in court,” he said.

President Marcos said the new rules will institutionalize the executive and inquisitorial nature of preliminary investigations in line with legal precedents and reinforcing the DOJ’s authority in this domain.

The guidelines will also enhance existing prosecutorial functions empowering the DOJ to take a proactive role in the investigation of crimes and ensure efficient case build-ups, he added.

Basically these new rules empower prosecutors to do their jobs. If prosecutors were not leading the investigation of criminal cases then what were they doing? Allowing for the cops to do the investigation. Everyone knows the PNP are corrupt and do not follow proper protocols. I wrote a whole article about it. 

Remulla blamed a culture of “arrests” within the PNP for what happened.

(Before, police would just keep arresting even without a case. If there is no case, they plant evidence. They can no longer do that. We will not allow that. That's why they're having problems.)

The Justice secretary said they are trying to address this culture by implementing new procedures under a new DOJ department circular which mandates prosecutors to take an active role in gathering evidence and building the case.

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2023/07/not-following-proper-procedure-is-pnp.html

Let's take a look at this new law. 

https://www.doj.gov.ph/files/2024/DC_2024/DC%2015%20series%20of%202024.pdf

RULE III 

AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS AND INQUEST PROCEEDINGS 

Section 6. Prosecutors and Officers Authorized to Conduct Preliminary Investigation and Inquest Proceedings. All prosecutors, including prosecution attorneys, mentioned under R.A. No. 10071, and other officers as may be allowed by law, are authorized to conduct preliminary investigations and inquest proceedings. 

State prosecutors or prosecutors assigned at the Office of the Secretary of Justice Prosecution Staff shall have national jurisdiction over all crimes or offenses involving national security, all criminal cases for which task forces have been created, and all criminal cases in which the venues were transferred to avoid a miscarriage of justice, or when so directed by the Secretary of Justice as public interest may require. 

The city, provincial, or regional prosecutors and their assistants shall have jurisdiction over crimes or offenses, and violations of ordinances, cognizable by the proper courts in their respective territorial jurisdictions. 

It is simply incredible that only now do prosecutors have jurisdiction over crimes and the ability to lead investigations. How would they know if the case before them is valid without doing any investigation into the matter? 

Perhaps these new rules will bring change.  Only time will tell. 

A Tale of Two Murder Cases

The Philippine justice system is quite broken and there is no better way to demonstrate that fact than by comparing cases involving the same crime. The following two cases involve murder. It's the details that differ.

This first case is rather open and shut as it involves a witness, a ballistic examination, and a paraffin test. Presumption of innocence notwithstanding this man is guilty. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1947975/makati-prosecutors-office-finds-basis-to-sue-road-rage-suspect-for-murder

The Makati City Prosecutor’s Office found probable cause to file a murder case against the suspect in a road rage that occurred along the southbound lane of the Edsa Ayala tunnel in Makati City.

The incident resulted in the death of a stay-in driver.

Citing a resolution released by the prosecutor’s office on Monday, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said suspect Gerard Raymond Yu is facing complaints of murder and carrying of firearms without permits.

“The Office of the City Prosecutor of Makati has issued a resolution finding probable cause to charge our arrested suspect Yu with murder charges for violation of Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code and violation of Section 31 of Republic Act 10591,” Fajardo said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino, in a press briefing on Tuesday.

The PNP official said the paraffin test results on Yu and the ballistic examination of his firearms were among the bases the prosecutor cited.

Last May 29. Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. revealed that Yu tested positive for gunpowder from the confiscated weapons, which also matched the recovered fired cartridge at the scene.

“In the body of the resolution, the prosecutor says that he [Yu] chased [the victim] and made sure that he positioned himself on the right side of the Innova so that the victim would not notice him,” Fajardo said.

“The case was elevated, and the prosecutor agreed to the murder case we filed yesterday. The city prosecutor also filed information for murder before the Regional Trial Court of Makati,” she added.

And rightly the Makati prosecutor's office says they will be filing charges. There is no waiting for the victims family to file a case. There is no nonsense. There is the City legal office taking charge and filing a case.

Compare that to the following case. A 20 year old 11th grader (that is a whole different story!) was gunned down in his house in front of his parents. It was a case of revenge over a charge of rape. No matter the victim appears innocent. The fact is the cops and the parents seem to know who the perpetrator is. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/6/police-brutal-slay-of-grade-11-student-triggered-by-alleged-rape-incident

Police said that the brutal killing of a Grade 11 student in Barangay Granada here was triggered by rumors linking him to an alleged rape incident.

Police Capt. Portia Nillosan, head of Police Station 5, said that 20-year-old Nicus Balagosa was allegedly shot by the father of the alleged rape victim in front of his parents in their house on Sunday, June 2.

Balagosa was mistakenly tagged as one of those who allegedly raped the 16-year-old daughter of one of the gunmen, according to Nillosan. 

Nillosan said the alleged rape incident happened a few days ago, when the teenage girl and Balagosa attended a friend’s birth anniversary party with their two other friends aged 17 and 19.

However, it was reported late to the police, she added.

After learning the incident involving his daughter, Nillosan said the girl’s father confronted Balagosa’s two friends who denied any involvement in the incident.

However, Nillosan said that the girl’s father may have heard rumors linking Balagosa to the incident that triggered him to act violently.

Nillosan said that based on medical examination, the girl was positively sexually molested. But she noted that based on their investigation, Balagosa had left the party before the alleged rape happened.  

She said they are probing Balagosa’s two friends in relation to the alleged rape incident.

Nillosan said they already have four persons of interest in the shooting incident and they have also identified the girl’s father as one of the two gunmen. However, she refused to name him to protect the identity of the alleged rape victim.

She said they were not able to clearly see the license plates of the get-away vehicle through a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera, making it difficult for them to identify the car owner.

She said they are awaiting Balagosa’s family to file murder charges against the perpetrators who are still at large.

Wow. There are suspicions about who pulled the trigger but nothing definite at this point and the PNP is waiting for the FAMILY TO FILE CHARGES????  Are they supposed to conduct an investigation and figure out who killed their son? OF course not. That is the job of the PNP. And they should be the ones who file the case and forward it to the City Prosecutor's Office. 

Now, let's look at a third case. DILG Secretary Abalos has warned barangays that all online sexual child abuse cases must be prosecuted. There is no room for settlement. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/5/abalos-warns-barangays-no-settlement-of-online-child-sexual-abuse-cases

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur’’ Abalos Jr. warned barangay officials on Wednesday, June 5, that there should absolutely no settlement of Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or exploitation of Children (OSAEC) cases at their level.

In a press briefing, Abalos urged the public to report online child sexual abuse and exploitation cases to proper law enforcement authorities as he vowed that those involved would be prosecuted.

He reiterated that local officials could be held liable if proven that they are instrumental in the “settlement’’ of these cases.

“To all those watching now, these are children, victims, this is a crime. You cannot say that this is only a camera that is only focused on them like that. Because there is this mindset. Some will say that is only a camera, no, even if it is only a camera, even if it is anything, this is a crime against children,’’ Abalos emphasized.

In the same briefing, National Coordination Council (NCC) against OSAEC Executive Director Margarita Magsaysay stressed that the barangay should endorse these cases to proper law enforcement authorities since settlement of this nature is out of the question.

She cited that the preference to settle these cases at the barangay level has probably something to do with maintaining family harmony, which should not be done since justice is not served to the child/victim with the perpetrators having the luxury of victimizing other children again.

Look at the reasoning here. There is to be no settlement because online child sexual abuse is a crime. No kidding!  But so is murder. So is homicide as a result of reckless driving. So is theft. So are so many other crimes yet the so-called justice system lets these crimes slip through the cracks because either the victims and the perpetrators settle or the victims refuse to prosecute. 

But it should NEVER be the job of the victim to prosecute. This is why so many criminals get away. Prosecution should be up to the City Prosecutor. And that is why the Philippine justice system remains broken.