EDITORIAL — Another crime that makes us feel unsafe

In the morning last November 25, armed men robbed the Oro Sugbu jewelry store along Colon Street. The fact that they did it in broad daylight beside one the busiest streets in Cebu City showed how daring they were. The fact that the crime has remained unsolved until now shows how good they were at it.

Yesterday morning not just one jewelry shop was robbed in Cebu City but two, both along Calderon Street, which is also in a busy part of the city. Both robberies were done in and almost in the same manner as the one last year; robbers come in, scoop everything up, then get out quickly.

We don’t know if these were the same robbers as last year, but what is clear is that it seems some people were not afraid to go for a jewelry shop again.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has given the police 48 hours to solve the crime. While we think they should not be rushing things so as not to make any mistakes, we also agree that it must be solved quickly before the robbers get away. The fact that at least one of them spoke in Tagalog might indicate they aren’t from here or plan to stay long.

Echoing what we said regarding that November robbery, crimes like these make us feel unsafe. If jewelry stores can be hit quite easily, what about other businesses? If armed robbers aren’t afraid to hit establishments in the busiest parts of the city are other places in the city really safe?

Given our status as Queen City of the South and the next most influential place outside Metro Manila, robbers are supposed to feel afraid to strike here. But apparently this isn’t the case for some criminals.

Again, such brazenness is a slap to the face of the police. What gives criminal the courage to strike here? Or the assurance that they can get away with it?

The police could not prevent this crime, but that can be forgiven; police cannot prevent all crimes from happening after all. The best they can do now to keep their reputation is to solve this one quickly --even with the specter of the still-unsolved Oro Sugbu robbery hanging over their heads.