Philippine National Police Director Oscar Calderon said Bohol is not among the dangerous places in the country even as Central Visayas topped in Camp Crame crime statistics for the first half of 2006.

PNP TOP GUNS. PNP Chief Oscar Calderon (top foto) interviewed by Chronicle-DYRD team yesterday at Miravilla Resort while photo above shows PNP Reg'l Director Silverio Alarcio (l) confers with PNP Provl Director Arturo Evangelista. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

In an interview with the Chronicle yesterday, Calderon cited the high incidence of street and petty crimes as well as slayings attributed to vigilante groups in Cebu City as a contributing factor why Region 7 ranks comparatively higher than other regions. The PNP chief came here from Cebu City yesterday to inaugurate the newly constructed P5 million two-storey Bohol Provincial Police Office in Camp Dagohoy, this city. He was accompanied by PNP Chief of Operations Deputy Director Avelino Razon and PRO 7 Director Silverio Alarcio. Calderon also underscored the awareness of citizens in Central Visayas on the system of reporting crimes to police hence its efficient recording. He downplays the prevalence of petty and street crimes as inherent to fast developing cities. Calderon said highway robberies is comparatively low in Bohol.

"What is prevalent here [in Bohol] is cellphone snatching, but not much criminal cases," he said. Snatching is also common in Manila and anywhere else in the country.

Provincial Investigation and Intelligence Branch (PIIB) data shows there have been 14 cases of highway holdups victimizing collectors of lending and financial firms since January this year, while there are at least 10 cases of house burglaries. Of the reported highway robberies, only three cases have currently been solved.

Calderon bared that marching orders have been given for Bohol-PNP Director P/SSupt. Arturo Evangelista to address the situation by increasing police visibility in the streets and conduct random checkpoints in the towns.

With Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's pronouncement of Bohol being a preferred tourist destination after Boracay and Palawan, Calderon said he will augment the tourist police force in the province and equip them to fit with the needs of the booming tourism industry of Bohol.

For his part, Director Alarcio said there is actually a downtrend in reported crimes in the region.

According to Calderon, within the 15-month period of serving as PNP chief (he will be retiring next year), he will prioritize PNP housing program, address criminality and anti-insurgency.

Calderon said he wants to clean-up Central Visayas, particularly Cebu City where the ASEAN summit will be held before the year ends. He has directed anti-terrorism and security preparations in all air and seaports in Cebu and neighboring provinces in view of recent terrorist activities in London.

There is no terrorist threat in Bohol, but the PNP chief said the PNP is closely monitoring ports in Cebu.

The PNP is given a new mandate through EO 564, playing a major role in internal security operations. According to Calderon, he will urge local chief executives, through municipal, provincial and regional peace and order councils to address the root causes of crimes and insurgency that will play a key role in the conduct of internal security operations.

CITES REGION 7

Calderon congratulated the PNP Region 7 command for the absence of political killings in Central Visayas.

He said cases of reported deaths of activists in the region are all documented as random or due to personal motives and not in connection with political activities.

Calderon's first few days in office was met with a tough challenge as Pres. Arroyo gave a 10-week timetable for the PNP to come up with significant results in the cases of slain journalists and militant activists.

The PNP chief, however, assured that they will be able to beat the timeline as he urged members and leaders of partylist and militant cause-oriented groups to come forward and cooperate in the investigation of cases of their murdered colleagues.

SHORTAGE OF POLICEMEN/FUNDS

The shortage of policemen here in the province is a nationwide issue, according to the PNP chief. The PNP target ratio is one policeman for every 500 people.

Calderon said Bohol will get its allocation of new policemen from the quota of additional personnel.

The PNP is presently operating based on the 2004 budget which explains the shortage of funds, Calderon said. He is requesting an additional P15 billion for their previous P44 billion allocation.

Despite the fund shortage, Calderon said he will make sure that their funding goes down to all police stations.

He promised to evenly distribute armaments and patrol vehicles to more than 20,000 police stations all over the country. "There should at least be one running vehicle per station."

Calderon denied there is a shortage of firearms in the PNP, saying that there is even an excess of over 40,000 long and short firearms.

NEW OFFICE BUILDING

Construction of the P5 million worth 2-storey new office building, which will house main administrative offices, was started during the stewardship of former PNP chief Arturo Lomibao as part of the construction of four other police office buildings located in the towns of Panglao, Catigbian and Batuan.

Calderon, together with Rep. Edgar Chatto and Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo Jr. led the ceremonial ribbon cutting and unveiling of marker during the inauguration yesterday afternoon.