Palace to PNP: Step up drive vs street crimes

Malacañang ordered police authorities yesterday not to lose focus in the war against street criminals even while battling terrorism in the country.

Presidential Spokesman and concurrent Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye made this appeal as he expressed condolences to the family of newsman Jose Luis Villanueva, who was killed by members of a cell phone robbery gang last Friday while on board a bus in Pasay City.

Villanueva, 29, was the assistant business editor of Today, tried fight his attackers but was stabbed to death.

"Our authorities must focus on these ordinary street crimes and not only against organized crimes and terrorism," Bunye said. "What is important is we must help one another to fight this scourge and we also hope that our civilian population would cooperate with our police authorities to fight these street criminals."

During the same radio interview though, Bunye defended President Arroyo’s extension of the tour of duty of Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay for another six months when she promoted the latter to head the police organization.

"This was not the first time that such extension was given, not only at the PNP, but also at the Armed Forces of the Philippines," Bunye said.

"Let us just give Gen. Aglipay a chance to perform his duties. And as we have seen, based from his previous record, especially in the campaign against illegal drugs, his service has been really very meritorious."

In a related development, President Arroyo made an unscheduled side trip to Mandaue, Cebu yesterday after her visit to Bicol upon learning about the latest discovery of a shabu laboratory.