HONASAN: PHL NOT READY FOR 'GUNLESS SOCIETY'
MANILA, JANUARY 31, 2011 (STAR) By Perseus Echeminada – Sen. Gregorio Honasan yesterday said the Philippines is not yet ready to be a "gunless society" because the government is still unable to ensure the safety of the citizens from lawless elements. "A gunless society can only exist if the government can protect the citizens," he said in a news forum in Quezon City.
Honasan, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, said law and order in the country has deteriorated to a point where there is confusion on who should be in charge of the rising criminality.
"Who is in charge? The Department of National Defense, the Philippine National Police?" he said. A bus was recently bombed in Makati City, killing five and wounding several others. Two car traders were also recently killed. Honasan also said law enforcement agencies merely react to terror attacks and high-profile crimes instead of preventing them. Because of this, he said, calls for a total gun ban and the revival of the death penalty will not deter criminal and terror activities in the country.
Dominguez carjacking ring protected by police? By Jaime Laude (The Philippine Star) Updated January 30, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (4)
MANILA, Philippines – Several active and retired senior police officials are protectors of the notorious Dominguez carjacking syndicate, sources in the intelligence community revealed yesterday.
The Dominguez carjacking syndicate has been tagged as the group responsible for the murder of car traders Emerson Lozano and Venson Evangelista, sources said.
The same sources revealed the brutal slaying of Lozano and Evangelista and driver Ernane Sensil could be part of plot to cover the tracks of their protectors.
One of the police protectors of the Dominguez group reportedly owns a fleet of 18 luxury cars including a Hummer.
"Hopefully these people would soon be unmasked, arrested and charged in court," an intelligence official said.
The official did not identify the police protectors but another simply said they could not elaborate since it would compromise their operations against them.
"Aside from helping concerned police units crack the case, we are doing our investigation into these criminal activities for own unit's consumption," the official said.
However, another official assured the public that once solid proof is obtained, they would make public their findings.
On reports that the resurgence of high-profile crimes could be part of an ongoing move to destabilize the Aquino government, the intelligence official admitted they are not ruling this out.
But for now, he said, they are more inclined to believe that no politics was involved in the sudden increase in criminal activities.
"We are not discounting that possibility but from our radar screen, there appears some key police personalities who are serving as godfathers of these carjacking syndicates," he said.
The official also revealed efforts to uncover the activities of at least five to six key personalities that had been linked to various criminal syndicates operating in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.
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