Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption

July 22, 2013

PRESS STATEMENT
THE REAL STATE OF THE NATION ON CRIME AND CORRUPTION
Today, July 22, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III once again shall speak to HIS BOSSES the Filipino people for his much-awaited State of the Nation Address (SONA). The delivery of the SONA is always a historical moment with a far-reaching significance because it gives the nation a glimpse of how the incumbent Administration fared in its governance and its delivery of services in accordance with its declared policies. In the aspect of peace and order, how did the P-Noy Administration fare? What is the true state of the nation when it comes to Crime and Corruption? Is there anything for the P-Noy Administration to brag about in its campaign against criminals during the past year? We give the President a sorry rating in handling the countrys peace and order situation. No amount of sugar-coating for his SONA could camouflage the fact that when it comes to the campaign against crime and corruption, the P-Noys Administration has been characterized by the following: 1. THE INCIDENCE OF CRIME WORSENED as reports of crime flooded the media. The PNP has issues its statistics claiming that crime is on the decline. But we only have to watch the daily news on TV, listen to the radio and read the newspapers and we see the face of crime every day, everywhere, any time of the day even in public places in broad daylight. Crime is all over the country murders, massacres, rapes and Kidnap-forRansom/carnapping, thefts and robberies accompanied by Homicide, raids and ambushes by insurgents, assassinations staged by killers-for-hire even fatal hostage-taking. Its a season for ambushes and assassinations. The recent ambush of Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental Ruth Guingona on April 20, 2013 killing her bodyguard and leaving her wounded is just one in a assassinations of political figures, journalists and ordinary citizens. Its a season for rape, robberies and homicide victimizing even women, students and the youth as in the case of the UST Cum Laude coed who was robbed and stabbed to death 49 times in Bacoor, Cavite. Our women are not spared. A bank executive, her mother and their maid were massacred, butchered and slashed to death inside their home in Sta Cruz, Manila by robbers. A housewife was standing infront of her eatery in Binondo, Manila when she was pumped in the head with bullets by her killers. A young Jollibee service crew was brutally killed in close range inside the establishment simply over a traffic argument. A Letranite Varsity player and live-in partner were assaulted by Riding-in Tandem resulting to the killing of the woman and serious wounding of the basketball player in San Juan just the other day. 2. A CULTURE OF IMPUNITY PERVADES AS CRIMINALS BECOME BOLDER AND FEARLESS, USING VARIOUS MODUC OPERANDI and victimizing even innocent children. Little boys and girls have become prey to kidnapping syndicates who have been snatching children and girls in Metro Manila. Murders and robberies

committed by criminals Riding in tandem have risen dramatically, many of whom were suspected to be hired killers. There is an enormous increase of Guns-for-Hire syndicates the leaders and members of which may come even from the military and the police. Only recently, a Guns-for-Hiresyndicate was neutralized by the NBI allegedly led by a certain T/Sgt Yadao that plotted to murder businessman Butch Cosme, further illustrating the dangerous threat posed by such criminal syndicates. 3. BUNGLED HANDLING OF CRISIS SITUATIONS resulting to unnecessary tragic deaths of victims. On August 23, we will be commemorating the 3 rd year of the infamous Luneta Hostage-Taking Incident where 8 Hongkong nationals were killed in 2010 because of the botched handling by the police and local officials of the crisis. In March this year, 12 Filipino Muslims holed in Lahad Datu, Sabah were killed when Malaysian warplanes bombed them in a bid to flush them out during the tragic Sabah standoff. The carnage committed against our Muslim brothers who were members of the Royal Army of Sultan Jamalul K iram III of the Sultanate of Sulu claiming Sabah to be their legitimate homeland had earned criticisms on the Philippine President of the way he had handled the crisis, resulting to the carnage as Malaysian went on rampage against our countrymen. 4. THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM WEAKENED AND RENDERED INEFFECTIVE that it could not be trusted anymore to guarantee the safety of witnesses. Recent developments have caused concern and alarm on witnesses such as the case of former Colonel Cezar Mancao, witness to the Dacer-Corbito Double Murder case, who had been ordered committed to the City Jail of Manila while his Motion for Reconsideration is still pending, causing him to escape from the NBI Detention Quarters. Here was a case under the Aquino Administrations tuwid na daan where the witness had suddenly become the accused. Other circumstances that revealed there is a serious problem in the Program are as follows: The murder of Alfredo Bading Mendiola, vital witness to the Venson Evangelista Carnapping with Murder case; The escape from WPP of Manuel Montero, accused turned state witness in the murder of Ruby Rose Barrameda; The killing of the witness in the murder of Dr Ortega of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; Witness Mary Rosebud Ong is still under the Witness Protection Program for the longest time because of the slow pace of high-profile cases like drug trafficking, kidnapping, etc against former PNP officials and other personalities which have remained pending up to the present.

5. THE GROWING INCIDENCE OF EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS COMMITTED BY THE POLICE is an indication of the threatening breakdown of peace and order. Lawlessness is aggravated when law enforcement agents themselves begin to display disrespect of the law by committing salvaging operations on suspects. This has become a practice shown under the Aquino Administration as shown in the following cases: Atimonan, Quezon Checkpoint Massacre where 13 died in a shoot-out suspected to be a rub-out that occurred in Atimonan, Quezon. The 13 people were allegedly in 2 vehicles that stopped at a checkpoint manned by a team composed of police officers and army personnel. Among the dead were a notorious businessman and a Senior Police Officer. On July 15, 2013, notorious Ozamis Robbery Gang Leader Ricky Cadavero and a gang member were allegedly killed by policemen escorting them to Camp Vicente Lim from Dasmarinas, Cavite where they underwent inquest proceedings. The VACC meanwhile condemns the early pronouncement of Malacanang that this particular incident was a RUBOUT which has pre-empted a still ongoing investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Justice (DOJ) and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Investigating Teams.

6. DESPITE P-NOYS AVOWED COMMITMENT TO THE MATUWID NA DAAN, CORRUPTION HAS PERSISTED UNDER HIS ADMINISTRATION . On the contrary, a deplorable Underground na Daan seemingly exist in the Aquino Administration characterized by the following: 1. Favored personalities seem to enjoy the protection of high officials especially in bidding transactions of huge projects involving millions of pesos and, 2. A lopsided form of investigation into alleged wrongdoing that runs in full force after the past Administration and exempts or go soft on those appointed by P-Noy. It is the observation of VACC that the Presidents trusted lieutenants have been treading their own kind of Daan the Underground na Daan where valid complaints lodged against them seem to have escaped the vigilant notice of Malacanang. It cited the following instances: The latest corruption at the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture involving alleged favored contractors in garlic importation and disregarding the proper bidding procedures as required by law. That favored personality has been reported to be monopolizing the importation of garlic through the use of dummies. Lately, VACC filed a Graft Complaint against some officials of the Bureau of Customs which involved about 400 million pesos of contract to an alleged favored contractor by Customs officials. In a report at a leading newspaper, the head of the Metro Rail Transit appointed by P-Noy has been tagged by the Czech ambassador in the alleged $30 million shakedown attempt on a Czech supplier of trains for MRT 3 expansion. According to reports, it was alleged that some transport officials had promised Czech-based Inekon Group the contract to supply the trains for the MRT 3 expansion in exchange for $30 million, a charge that the MRT officials have denied. However, this is a development that needs extensive investigation as it tends to follow a disturbing pattern of favored biddings.

7. The disturbing complaints against the pork barrels of several Senators and Congressmen being funneled to ghost NGOs and non-existent beneficiaries are robbing the country of billions of money. Such alleged irregularities have come to the fore under P-Noy plus the millions of Christmas Gift Bonus to Senators initiated by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile out of the savings of the Senate Budget. It is obvious that the battle against rising criminality is not the Presidents priority agenda. Let us not be hypocrites. All this hype on the SONA that may claim poverty alleviation and economic progress are but smokescreens to filter whats the real situation. Criminality has worsened to an all-time high, corruption in high places goes unchecked. It is high time we review our laws. Let us bring back the Death Penalty Law. Let us review the 25 year prescription for heinous crime cases, we call on Congress to amend the Revised Penal Code on this provision of 25-year prescription period such that Murder should not have a prescription just like in the U.S. Let us strengthen the Witness Protection Program. Let us relieve PNP personnel who are involved in crime cases. We need long-range reforms in our Criminal Justice System as much as improvements in our economy. What the people need are concrete actions to make them feel secure. They need assurance of safety more than glorified claims of accomplishments in the SONA that really means nothing especially for us at VACC. DANTE LA JIMENEZ Founding Chairman/President, VACC _____________________________________________________________________________ ___________

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