PNP claims: ‘Metro Manila safe, checkpoints working despite ambush’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) claimed yesterday that the nationwide election gun ban is effective and citizens are safe despite the fatal ambush of a businessman and his driver along EDSA in Mandaluyong City last Sunday afternoon.

PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said the murder of Jose Luis Yulo, 62, and his driver Allan Nomer Santos, 51, by motorcycle-riding assailants was an isolated incident that does not reflect the overall situation in the country.

“The gun ban remains effective through strict implementation, focused law enforcement and intensified checkpoint operations,” he said.

Banac said a total of 1,623 persons have been arrested for possession of firearms since the gun ban was imposed on Jan. 13, with 166,123 checkpoints set up nationwide.

Since the police intensified operations, 1,283 assorted firearms, 346 commercial explosives, 82 hand grenades, 10,053 pieces of ammunition, 55 gun replicas and 11,027 bladed weapons have been confiscated.

Gun owners also surrendered 2,592 firearms with expired licenses.

“As shown in the data, we are making headway and big progress in ensuring that we will have peaceful and orderly elections,” Banac said.

Banac did not go into details but added that because of Yulo’s murder, security adjustments will be made to ensure that a similar incident will not happen again.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Guillermo Eleazar ordered an investigation yesterday on what went wrong with their checkpoint operations and the implementation of the riding-in-tandem ordinance following the killing of Yulo and his driver.

Eleazar said the Mandaluyong City police apparently failed to intercept the suspects despite police checkpoint operations.

The local government also has an ordinance prohibiting two males riding tandem on a motorcycle, unless they are father and son.

“We are focused on these riding-in-tandem concern for a long period of time. It is a challenge to us but the sad fact is that the Mandaluyong City police failed to intercept them,” Eleazar said.

“Anyway, in any modern police organization, you cannot get zero crime.”

Eleazar reported that the murder incidents perpetrated by riding-in-tandem suspects in Metro Manila dropped from 330 in 2017 to 50 in 2018 or by 85.21 percent.

Overall, crime incidents involving riding-in-tandem in 2017 were pegged at 853 compared to 400 cases in 2018 or down by 53.11 percent.

Eleazar credited the NCRPO’s checkpoint operations and the implementation of Oplan Sita, wherein all motorcycle riding persons were being flagged down and thoroughly checked. – With Non Alquitran