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Political bickering has affected peace and order in Mandaue City.
Police officials yesterday reported that Mandaue’s crime volume from January to August this year went up by 13.6 percent from the same period last year because of lack of police vehicles.
The sharpest rise was noticed in theft and robbery cases.
“Police transportation was pulled out because of the conflict between the executive and legislative members of the local government unit,” said Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos, police director for Central Visayas during the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) meeting.
“The resources for crime prevention were only given lately.”
Mandaue’s police office was the only one in Central Visayas that reported an increase in crime figures during the RPOC meeting at the Capitol Social Hall.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who chairs the council, said this was alarming since other police offices in provinces of Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and Cebu City reported a decline in crime incidence.
Garcia said she would try to mediate the dispute between Mayor Jonas Cortes and the opposition-dominated City Council led by Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna.
“I'm taking it as my responsibility (to mediate) and I hope, I really, really hope that the city officials of Mandaue will give me a chance to talk to them,” she said.
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Fortuna said police incompetence was to blame for the crime situation and that lack of police vehicles was just being made a “scapegoat”.
“We will ask Senior Supt. Rodel Calungsud what measures they have taken and why there was a rise in the crime rate under his watch,” he said.
It was Calungsud, chief of the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), who reported the crime trend in the RPOC meeting.
He said Mandaue's crime volume from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31 this year went up to 467 cases compared to 411 cases for the same period last year or a rise of 13.6 percent.
How many vehicles does the Mandaue police have?
Fortuna said the city government turned over four Toyota Revo vans last March to the police, units which Mayor Cortes had withdrawn from City Hall department heads.
Eight Nissan Terrano vans used by the Mandaue police were in limbo last year due to prolonged debate over the city’s lease contract with RDAK Transport for the rental of the vehicles. The contract was cancelled after much disagreement between the City Council and the mayor.
By March 2008, four Toyota Revo pulled out by the mayor from City Hall offices were refitted and released for the police.
Twelve motorcycles, two for each precinct, were also distributed. By June, two Spider multicabs were handed to the police.
Calungsud yesterday said that even with the new motorcycles, Mandaue police stations still lack vehicles, making it hard to chase after robbers, most of whom use motorbikes for fast getaways.
He said Mandaue's growing population of about 328,000 in 27 barangays was also a factor.
Governor Garcia said the report was a “wake up call for all of us public officials.”
“We should rise above personal interests, personal agenda and whatever else is there that causes the fighting.”
She instructed Calungsud to find ways to reduce crime volume in the city while she talks with the elected officials.
“Because of their bickering, it took them longer to provide vehicles to the police. It can affect the peace and order and it's really, really sad because as I already said peace and order is a basic requirement before we can even talk about development and growth,” said Garcia.
Garcia said this was crucial in efforts to promote Cebu as a tourism and investment destination.
The governor didn’t say when or how she would meet Mandaue officials.
“I will come in there with no biases. I will really stay in the middle and try as much as possible to see both sides kay duna man na silay ilang kaugalingon pud nga rason.”
Vice Mayor Fortuna said he welcomed the governor’s move but insisted the higher crime volume should be blamed on failure of police intelligence, not political conflict.
Police should be more visible in crime-prone areas, he said. Since Mandaue is smaller in land area than Cebu and Lapu-Lapu cities, lack of vehicles shouldn’t be that big a problem, said the vice mayor.
