Rise in rape cases in Bicol alarms PNP

NAGA CITY, Philippines—Police officials have expressed alarm over the rising number of rape cases in the Bicol region over 10 months since January despite the declining number of “index” crimes.

Chief Supt. Augusto Marquez, who assumed the post of police regional director in September, said he was baffled by the situation and could not explain why rape cases in Bicol were comprising more than 10 percent of the index crime volume.

From January to October, the cases accounted for 22 percent of the total volume of index crimes, way above the record of 5 percent or less in other regions. But Bicol’s volume of index crimes dropped 13 percent to 9,882, compared to 13,592 for the same period in 2014, according to the Philippine National Police regional office.

The National Statistical and Coordination Board (NSCB) defines crimes as index when they “are sufficiently significant and which occur with sufficient regularity to be meaningful.” Included in this category are murder, physical injury, robbery, theft and rape.

A significant increase of 8 percent in rape cases was recorded from January to October, from 14 percent (1,903 cases) for the same period in 2014 to 22 percent (2,174) this year.

“I was surprised why we have a big number of rape cases, which are always more than 10 percent of the crime volume. Normally, if you take a look at this kind of case, it’s only less than 5 percent,” Marquez said. He was previously assigned to the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, the unit that collates and interprets data on crimes from all over the country, at the PNP main headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

One of the reasons given him by one of the provincial directors in Bicol was the high consumption of alcohol in the region, but Marquez said this did not make Bicol any different from other regions.

Two other provincial directors volunteered that it might be due to poverty and the proliferation of illegal drugs, he said. Again, he found these to be common in most regions.

Marquez cited campaign efforts of the head of the Women and Children Protection Division to disseminate information regarding abuse on women and children, and the right to redress.

“If we drill down, how was the data gathered? Most of the rape cases reported happened a long time ago after the incident happened. For example, a child was a victim when she was still in elementary school, after that she reported the incident when she was already in high school,” he said.

The data, as interpreted, yielded 38-40 percent in incestuous rape, with relatives—father, stepfather, grandfather, uncle or brother—as suspects, Marquez said. “The victims here in Bicol are as young as 2 years old and the oldest is 53 years old,” he said.

The official said the cases reported to the police did not comprise walk-in victims, but the result of community assemblies conducted by the police to raise awareness on women and children protection.

“Still, these are just the reported cases in Bicol and I believe there are still a lot more of rape cases unreported,” Marquez said.