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March against Crime

I've already mentioned before that Dumaguete City, known as the "City of Gentle People", is becoming more and more unsafe, but the recent rape/robbery/murder of a graduating nursing student was just horribly off the charts.

A few days ago, a Silliman student nurse was brutally killed. According to reports, the intention of the offender was to steal her laptop. Apparently, she was followed all the way to her apartment, which was located near the campus. At around 2 pm that afternoon, she was alone in her room when the accused attacked her. Most likely, the poor victim resisted, and there was a brief struggle. She was stabbed in the head and her body. Rumors have it that she was also raped. In a nutshell, it was bloody and brutal.

According to neighbors, they heard a scream, but they ignored this, apparently because nothing else happened (at least they thought so). A witness saw a suspicious man coming out of the apartment with a laptop. Upon approaching him, the latter began running, thus confirming his suspicion. He finally caught up with him after a few hundred meters. By then, other people also began gathering around the accused. At first, the people thought that the crime that was committed was only robbery. It would only be discovered later that someone was brutally murdered.

The sad part was that the accused had already been caught before for theft, but the charges were dropped and he was set free. Had he been jailed, this would never had happened.

Yesterday, the entire Dumaguete Community, led by Silliman University, had a "March against Crime". Carrying placards, we paraded around the city condemning the rise of crimes and violence the past years. This was capped off with a prayer rally/gathering at the city plaza, where leaders addressed the crowd. The governor, mayor, and chief of police, along with many other officials, were all present. Many different groups joined the event. Leaflets were distributed expressing disgust and concern over the incidents.

Personally, I agree with the suggestions on those leaflets. But in my opinion, there are some simple things that could we could do to help.

Here are some of the measures we could take to help in our fight against crime/violence:

1. Being vigilant. If you know of a crime, report it to authorities. As mentioned, had charges been filed to the accused, the brutal murder would never had happened. I believe everything must start with us. The police can't do it all.

2. Knowing the people in your neighborhood. Having good relationships with them is helpful. You could easily ask for their assistance whenever you're in trouble. Also, since everyone is supposed to know everyone else, suspicious people are easier to spot.

3. Emergency numbers. Most people have cellphones but do not know the number of the police or hospital. These should be the first ones in your speed dial.

4. Police presence. Believe it or not, people still have respect for the police. Somehow, we still fear their presence. Thus, police officers, barangay tanods, and other authorities should be more visible, especially at night.

5. Lights. Again, this might sound odd, but I still believe this is effective. Let the government put more lights on our streets.

These are just some of the simple things we could do to help. I still believe that by nature, men are good and conscientious.