Bacolod besieged by
rising crime wave

Of course, Bacolod City folks will have their eyes trained on the suit which BREDCO is set to file against several city officials who were behind the takeover ordinance that City Mayor Evelio Leonardia signed Tuesday.

This means that the city mayor will organize a Task Force for the takeover and it may take sometime for the group to be able to formulate the plan for the eventual takeover of the BREDCO port.

The impending court case is going to be lengthy and a bruising one, according to most lawyers interviewed by the undersigned.

In short, it is a case that may further distract city officials from the more mundane problems of rising criminality and the still unresolved traffic problems that plagued Bacolod residents.

Not only that. City Mayor Leonardia has also tasked the Bacolod Retain the Airport Movement with crafting the plans on what they intend to do with the various options given them by the President – to either go for general aviation or put up flying school.

The Philippines , however, still lacks small planes that can ferry passengers on and from the many islands of the country. But there is hope that, somehow, Asian Spirit and other smaller airline firms may be able to field their planes to Bacolod . Say, to Boracay and Iloilo or Kalibo.

But the thing that bothers us was the reported holdup of two Korean students just beside the University of St. La Salle . Actually, it was the Redemptorist Church . There, according to unreported incidents, 10 more Korean students were reportedly held up Tuesday night.

Which was the reason why Rep. Monico Puentevella, who was reportedly scheduled to meet with South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines , found himself at his wit's end on how he could answer questions about the holdup.

And then there was the reported hijacking of motor engines from a mechanic shop Tuesday night. What made that theft more dramatic was the fact that one of the motor engines lifted was that of an Eisenhower jeep owned by radioman Franklin Villanueva.

Ramon Rivera, the machine shop owner, said the robbers entered the shop through an unlocked door.

What is worse, they must have used a machine lifter since the motor engines weighed as much as 200 kilos each.

And nobody seems to have noticed what was going on.

What seems to be getting everyone on edge is the number of burglaries which include actual break-in of houses in several subdivisions in the city. And also holdups of jeepney passengers.

The hullabaloo over the takeover ordinance of the BREDCO Port had long affected Bacolodnons. But that does not mean that the city officials should not cast their eyes also on the rising tide of criminality in the city.

City officials should also pay attention to the feedback from the Anti-Baha Coalition. Especially insofar as the relocation site for city squatters in Abada-Escay. I expect that city councilor Bobby Rojas will take a second and serious study of the deficiencies in the relocation site. How can you expect to encourage illegal settlers or transfer to the site when it lacks streets, canals, potable water, and electricity.

Of course, this does not mean that the city government must overlook its more priority projects, such as the BREDCO Port takeover. So with the retention of the Bacolod airport.

After all, as Mayor Leonardia put it – the issues between the city and Bredco cannot be overlooked now. It must be solved immediately, if possible.

But he did not maintain a stubborn position. He also provided an avenue for BREDCO officials to go back to the negotiating table to settle some of the long overdue questions which the city government had brought to their attention.

In short, the city is still willing to negotiate the issues with BREDCO. That does not mean, however, that city officials can take all their time away from the common-day problems plaguing Bacolod residents such as holdups and rising incidence of burglaries.*

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