From Rappler (Jul 6, 2023): General Santos mayor gives police chief ultimatum amid wave of shootings (By ROMMEL REBOLLIDO)
General Santos City sees at least 32 shootings since January, and Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao gives the city's police chief 20 days to do something about the problem
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – General Santos Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao has given the city’s police director less than a month to take steps to solve the problem of a series of deadly gun attacks in the city or face the prospect of being replaced.
The city has seen at least 32 shooting incidents since January, the most recent of which took place on June 27 when motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed two people, identified as Agustin Gonzales and Ramonito Evangelista, along Marcos Road in Apopong.
The gun attacks have not spared people in government, such as Policeman Chief Master Sergeant Petecellier Licanto on May 17, and Marylou Zamora Bañes, a 57-year-old employee at the local Register of Deeds who was killed on June 19.
The local police have merely dismissed the shooting deaths as “isolated cases,” drawing public criticism.
General Santos City administrator Franklin Gacal said on Tuesday, July 4, that Pacquiao has given city police director Alexis Yap 20 days to take action regarding the killings “or he will be relieved.”
Pacquiao is worried about the repercussions of the killings on the city’s economy, according to Gacal.
However, on May 4, Pacquiao told a news conference that she was confident that the local police, under Yap’s leadership, would be able to improve General Santos’ crime rate.
Yap has been serving as General Santos’ police director since October 2022.
General Santos is a city in the Soccsksargen region, which has found itself among those at the tail-end of the list of six Mindanao regions in terms of public confidence levels when it comes to peace and order.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) survey during the first quarter aimed to measure the level of confidence of people in Mindanao and visitors regarding the overall safety and their impressions of the performance of security forces in keeping the regions safe and secure.
On social media, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Soccsksargen said that while the MinDA survey results showed that police offices in South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani have performed well, “the General Santos City and North Cotabato police offices are faced with challenges in the eyes of the public.”
MinDA’s Mindanao Trust, Respect, Safety, and Satisfaction Survey involved 7,000 respondents, many of whom showed a favorable perception of the peace and order in most of Mindanao.
The MinDA study noted that people in Mindanao enjoyed the benefits of safe and secure communities resulting from trustworthy police services across the regions.
Adrian Tamayo, MinDA’s public relations division head, said the Davao region and Northern Mindanao had the highest public trust ratings at 92% each.
He attributed this to the Davao region being declared “insurgency-free” and Northern Mindanao’s recognition as a top contributor to addressing the armed conflict.
Caraga and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) followed with a 91% trust rating each, while the Soccsksargen and Zamboanga Peninsula regions had 89% and 88%, respectively.
In terms of respect towards law enforcers and their work, BARMM and Northern Mindanao had the highest ratings at 92% each, followed by Caraga at 90%, the Davao region at 89%, Soccsksargen at 89%, and Zamboanga Peninsula at 88%.
Regarding safety, Northern Mindanao, BARMM, and Zamboanga Peninsula posted the highest ratings at 89%, while Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen each had 88%.
Soccsksargen police director Brigadier General Jimili Macaraeg said they would use the survey as a basis to further strengthen and develop the police’s programs in the region.
“I am overwhelmed that the performance of the Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and South Cotabato Police gained high ratings in trust, respect, satisfaction, and safety. As for the lagging performances of the General Santos City Police Office and Cotabato Police Provincial Office in some matters, we will find a way to make up for those issues,” Macaraeg said.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/general-santos-mayor-lorelie-pacquiao-gives-police-chief-ultimatum-shootings/
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – General Santos Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao has given the city’s police director less than a month to take steps to solve the problem of a series of deadly gun attacks in the city or face the prospect of being replaced.
The city has seen at least 32 shooting incidents since January, the most recent of which took place on June 27 when motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed two people, identified as Agustin Gonzales and Ramonito Evangelista, along Marcos Road in Apopong.
The gun attacks have not spared people in government, such as Policeman Chief Master Sergeant Petecellier Licanto on May 17, and Marylou Zamora Bañes, a 57-year-old employee at the local Register of Deeds who was killed on June 19.
The local police have merely dismissed the shooting deaths as “isolated cases,” drawing public criticism.
General Santos City administrator Franklin Gacal said on Tuesday, July 4, that Pacquiao has given city police director Alexis Yap 20 days to take action regarding the killings “or he will be relieved.”
Pacquiao is worried about the repercussions of the killings on the city’s economy, according to Gacal.
However, on May 4, Pacquiao told a news conference that she was confident that the local police, under Yap’s leadership, would be able to improve General Santos’ crime rate.
Yap has been serving as General Santos’ police director since October 2022.
General Santos is a city in the Soccsksargen region, which has found itself among those at the tail-end of the list of six Mindanao regions in terms of public confidence levels when it comes to peace and order.
The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) survey during the first quarter aimed to measure the level of confidence of people in Mindanao and visitors regarding the overall safety and their impressions of the performance of security forces in keeping the regions safe and secure.
On social media, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Soccsksargen said that while the MinDA survey results showed that police offices in South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani have performed well, “the General Santos City and North Cotabato police offices are faced with challenges in the eyes of the public.”
MinDA’s Mindanao Trust, Respect, Safety, and Satisfaction Survey involved 7,000 respondents, many of whom showed a favorable perception of the peace and order in most of Mindanao.
The MinDA study noted that people in Mindanao enjoyed the benefits of safe and secure communities resulting from trustworthy police services across the regions.
Adrian Tamayo, MinDA’s public relations division head, said the Davao region and Northern Mindanao had the highest public trust ratings at 92% each.
He attributed this to the Davao region being declared “insurgency-free” and Northern Mindanao’s recognition as a top contributor to addressing the armed conflict.
Caraga and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) followed with a 91% trust rating each, while the Soccsksargen and Zamboanga Peninsula regions had 89% and 88%, respectively.
In terms of respect towards law enforcers and their work, BARMM and Northern Mindanao had the highest ratings at 92% each, followed by Caraga at 90%, the Davao region at 89%, Soccsksargen at 89%, and Zamboanga Peninsula at 88%.
Regarding safety, Northern Mindanao, BARMM, and Zamboanga Peninsula posted the highest ratings at 89%, while Davao Region, Northern Mindanao, and Soccsksargen each had 88%.
Soccsksargen police director Brigadier General Jimili Macaraeg said they would use the survey as a basis to further strengthen and develop the police’s programs in the region.
“I am overwhelmed that the performance of the Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and South Cotabato Police gained high ratings in trust, respect, satisfaction, and safety. As for the lagging performances of the General Santos City Police Office and Cotabato Police Provincial Office in some matters, we will find a way to make up for those issues,” Macaraeg said.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/general-santos-mayor-lorelie-pacquiao-gives-police-chief-ultimatum-shootings/
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