PRO-7 says alert not due to Duterte’s possible arrest

CEBU, Philippines — The Police Regional Office-7 has denied allegations that the police force is on heightened alert for the possible arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Police Brigadier General Redrico Maranan, PRO-7 regional director, clarified yesterday that the police force has been on heightened alert since Sunday, March 9, 2025, due to the upcoming elections.

“Sa ngayon tayo ay naka-alert dahil ngayon ay election period at pag-election period ay mataas ang ating alert status,” said Maranan.

These reports surfaced after speculation circulated that a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was about to be served to the former president.

However, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, in an interview with reporters in Manila yesterday, confirmed that there was no notice of a warrant of arrest from the ICC for Duterte.

Clavano also pointed out that the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, which means the court may opt to forgo the usual channels in implementing its orders, if any exist.

Meanwhile, Maranan further reported the decrease in crime volume in Central Visayas, which he attributed to the police force’s increased vigilance.

PRO-7 shared that recent statistics indicate a significant 41.50 percent decline in crime rates across Central Visayas for February 2025.

This reduction, PRO-7 stated, is largely due to the implementation of proactive policing strategies and increased community engagement.

Maranan emphasized the crucial role of active citizen participation in crime prevention and the importance of maintaining open communication channels.

These efforts, he said, have empowered local communities to play a proactive role in safeguarding their neighborhoods.

“These achievements reflect our unwavering commitment to justice and public safety. Under my leadership, we will continue to enhance our initiatives to ensure that Central Visayas remains a region distinguished by peace, order, and security,” said Maranan.

In a report for January 2025, PRO-7 documented a remarkable 66.62 percent reduction in crime incidents in the region compared to the same period last year.

Specifically, criminal incidents dropped from 767 in January 2024 to 256 in January 2025, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System (CIRAS).

The February 2025 data further showed a notable decline in eight focus crimes, with incidents dropping from 306 to 179, a total decrease of 127 cases (41.50 percent).

While most focus crimes saw a downward trend, the eight focus crimes include: murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, theft, robbery, and carnapping of motor vehicles and carnapping of motorcycles.

Maranan noted that proactive policing strategies have resulted in an unprecedented low in the eight focus crime categories compared to the previous year.

Notably, shooting incidents dropped by 41.66 percent from 36 cases in January to 21 in February 2025.

As such, Maranan assured that while the police force is focused on election security, their anti-crime initiatives—such as Oplan Bulabog, Oplan Sita, and buy-bust operations—will continue.

He also confirmed that no election-related incidents have been recorded in Region 7 so far, expressing hope that the upcoming May 12, 2025 elections will remain peaceful. — (FREEMAN)