Carnapped hospitality

It’s too much of a coincidence for nine carnapped vehicles to be found in two days in Metro Cebu.

One carnapping is news enough. This find exposes a vicious racket that allegedly involves Korean nationals.

While crime suspects are presumed innocent until proven otherwise by evidence that is beyond reasonable doubt, the role of foreigners here should be scrutinized more closely not just by the police but also by immigration authorities.

It is basic under international laws that a person traveling outside of his/her country is required to have a passport, an official government document that certifies one’s identity and citizenship and permits a citizen to travel abroad.

Upon entering a foreign country, a visa is appended to the passport to signify a host country’s permission for a foreign national to enter.

To enter our country is not a right but a privilege.

This applies also to Filipinos or any nationality traveling abroad. Any Filipino can be denied a visa and thus entry to another country, say Korea.

While Filipinos have an innate sense of hospitality, we should not allow this trait to be abused.

In this age of Filipino diaspora, we take stock of the fact that a Filipino or two gets arrested any given day for violating laws of their host country. Many end up abused.

Cases of foreign nationals engaged in crime in the Philippines is not a new phenomenon.

The recent discovery of a car theft ring in Cebu allegedly operated by Koreans should serve as a reminder that while we are naturally welcoming to visitors, we know how to draw the line between hospitality and applying the rule of law.

The police should throw the book at the perpetrators as well as examine their own personnel.

Why this car theft ring operated under the nose of law enforcement agencies is a question they should answer.

It’s important to crack the whip if only to disprove whispers around the community that some undesirable aliens enjoy the protection of the police.