EDITORIAL - Casualty of criminality

This is the consequence of rising criminality: the country will lose an estimated P284 million in tourism revenue after 149 chartered flights from China were canceled due to concerns about personal safety. The flights, booked on budget carriers for September to December, reportedly had 24,138 passengers, each of them expected to stay in the Philippines for an average of four days.

The flights, chartered mostly by companies, were cancelled following the kidnapping of a Chinese teenager in Mindanao, possibly by Abu Sayyaf bandits. The kidnapping was on top of a wacky plan announced by a group identified with Ely Pamatong to attack the Chinese embassy and other Chinese targets in the Philippines, ostensibly in protest against Beijing’s aggressive moves to stake its maritime territorial claims in disputed waters.

Regular commercial flights between the two countries will continue, but the tourism industry will feel the pain of those canceled group trips. The cancellations came on the heels of concerns raised by the South Korean embassy about violent attacks on Koreans visiting the Philippines. With more than 700 such attacks last year, including kidnapping, armed robbery, rape and murder, a Korean newspaper described the Philippines as “the most dangerous” country for Korean tourists and expatriates.

This year, nine Koreans have been killed in violent attacks in the Philippines. When Korean officials complained to the Philippine National Police, they were reportedly told that the attacks were not uncommon. At least the Koreans still bothered to go to the PNP. With cops themselves caught engaging in armed criminal activities, Filipinos are thinking twice about going to the police for help.

Traveling in Europe, President Aquino reiterated yesterday that he saw no reason to replace his former security aide, Alan Purisima, as PNP chief amid rising criminality. But the President must demand better performance from both Purisima and the PNP chief’s immediate superior in the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

Public safety is a function of local governments, with the police as their enforcement arm. Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and other foreigners aren’t the only ones who fear for their safety. Filipinos – the President’s “bosses” – feel unsafe, with even cops perceived as potential threats. The President must start cracking the whip on his law enforcement officials.