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Safer Cities Initiative gains ground
TACLOBAN CITY– A sustained decline in major crime incidents has been recorded in Eastern Visayas following the full rollout of the Philippine National Police’s Safer Cities Initiative (SCI), with the Police Regional Office (PRO)-8 reporting a 57.52% drop in the region’s monitored focus crimes over recent weeks.
The SCI, launched nationwide under the guidance of the Philippine National Police (Philippine National Police (PNP)) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)), began full implementation in the region on April 6, 2026.
The program focuses on increasing police visibility, strengthening patrol deployment, and enhancing coordination with local government units to deter criminal activity.
PRO-8 Regional Director B/Gen. Jason Capoy said the decline reflects the effectiveness of sustained police operations, increased visibility patrols, and strengthened coordination with local stakeholders under the SCI framework.
“This significant reduction in focus crimes demonstrates our collective commitment to intensifying law enforcement efforts, enhancing visibility, and implementing proactive measures to ensure the safety and security of the communities throughout the region,” Capoy said.
To better understand the figures, the PNP categorizes its “focus crimes” (also known as index crimes) as the eight most serious and closely monitored offenses that serve as key indicators of peace and order conditions. These include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and carnapping of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
Regional monitoring data showed a steady downward trend across reporting periods.
From February 3 to March 6, 2026, PRO-8 recorded 126 focus crime incidents. This decreased to 116 cases from March 7 to April 5, representing a reduction of 10 incidents or 7.94%.
After the SCI rollout, further improvements were recorded. From April 6 to May 6, 2026, incidents slightly declined to 113 cases, a decrease of 3 or 2.59%. A more significant drop was observed from May 7 to May 20, 2026, when only 48 cases were recorded—down by 65 incidents or 57.52% compared to the previous period.
Breakdown of the eight focus crimes showed broad improvements across categories. Rape cases posted the steepest decline, falling from 49 to 19.
Theft dropped from 92 to 57, while robbery decreased from 25 to 20. Murder cases went down from 25 to 21, homicide decreased by one case, and physical injuries slightly declined from 31 to 30.
Carnapping of motorcycles also dropped from 10 cases to four, while only one carnapping of motor vehicle case was recorded during the period.
JOEY A. GABIETA
