Vigilance

Vigilant citizenry is essential for a progressive community or nation.

We were called to be vigilant and to protect our votes against fraud during the May 14 polls. Nonetheless, we are exhorted to be watchful of suspicious individuals who dwell and visit our communities and to report them to proper authorities, especially that the threats of terrorism threaten our peace today.

Our vigilance does not end there. It extends to our duties of obeying laws like the simple observance in disposing household's refuse and proper use of pedestrian crossing and overpass when we cross the street. And the list goes on.

Police Regional Director Silverino Alarcio reported a dropped in crime figures for the period of January through May of this year, caused maybe by the deployment of extra police teams for the ASEAN Summit and, of course, the undying support of vigilant communities. Index crimes like robbery is downed by 29 percent in Cebu City, 31 percent in the province and 31 percent in Mandaue City compared to the last year's. (Sunstar, 10 June 2007)

Statistically speaking the situation has improved for the same period since 2005. However, there is no reason to celebrate and be complacent. The threats of robbers, murderers, thieves, terrorists, etc remain in our midst waiting to strike, without warning, another unwilling victim(s), shattering our peace. Besides, the numbers only showed the reported crimes. Few, if not many, reports had never even been penned in the crime logbook or the so called police blotter. Many victims chose to keep their silence.

Late evening of May 17, my younger sister, on her way home from overtime work, was robbed at gunpoint by an unidentified man, who wore a black jacket and baseball cap, near the corner of St. Jude Street and M.J. Cuenco Avenue in Mabolo. The hoodlum immediately boarded a passing passenger jeep taking with him my sis' wallet, cellphone, ATM cards, company ID and some cash.

I visited my sister the following morning to inquire if she had reported the incident to the authority. She didn't and reasoned me out that it was just some of an isolated case because the place has been relatively peaceful since she had rented last year a boarding house nearby. I learned, however, that her fellow tenant was a victim of such, a week before. This alarmed and concerned me.

Two days later, my fiancée and I went for groceries and spotted a police precinct on our way back. Knowing that it has jurisdiction of the said cases, I urged her that it's opportune for us to inform the authority.

At the precinct, an officer, who is not in uniform, approached me. He tinkered my grocery bag and tried to get hold of it. He, perhaps, thought that it was my gift for them. So I smiled and told him my business.

I was, then, referred to another officer, who is in complete uniform. I relayed to him the incident but I was told to bring my sister instead. I tried to talked him to heed my side but I was cut-off in mid-sentence for similar reason that victim should personally file the complaint or blotter.

Shaking my head in utter disappointment, I went out the precinct forgetting to get the officer's name. Anyway, I didn't plan to tell his superior. My fiancée could not believe what she just witnessed. We were just acting as good citizens of the country.

The officers' actuations would sometimes leave people to think that it's intentional not to heed such complaints for any reported crime unresolved under their jurisdiction is a demerit to their rank's or unit's performance. We hope that this is never a practice.

I conferred with my best friend, who is a police officer in Caraga Region, if police blotter should only be personally filed by the victim? He said, “ Any person who has knowledge of the event can do so.”

We opted to file the report not to pressure them to hunt the culprit and retrieve my sis' belongings because, after all, it's been 48-hour since the incident and any action from them would only be futile. We did it with the sincere hope of providing our security force relevant information which they can use for their future crime prevention efforts that they may undertake. We took our chance so that similar events will be marred from reoccurring and to give employees who lives there, especially during paydays, the freedom from fear of being robbed while passing on said location.

This is, however, not to condemn the whole police force for, like many of us, we sometimes need to be reminded of our onus and duties so that we can perform better. Nor this is to dishearten people.

Let this be a challenge for us to be trustful yet vigilant of our authorities so they can deliver genuine public services. Let us be watchful and be concerned about our securities. Let's make reporting any crime and anomaly in our community to concerned agencies a habit and our little contribution for the prevention of crimes so our communities will be safer.