Senate President Juan Miguel 鈥淢igz鈥� Zubiri speaks during the plenary hearing on PNP鈥檚 proposed 2024 budget on November 17, 2023. (Photo screengrabbed from YouTube account of Senate)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Philippine National Police (PNP) admitted before the Senate on Friday that the brazen killings in the country are a 鈥渟lap in their faces.鈥�
PNP chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr. made the confession after senators condemned the recent spate of killings.
鈥淎ccording to the PNP chief, they take these incidents as a slap in their faces and they resolve to work double time,鈥� said Senator Sonny Angara, who was defending PNP鈥檚 budget on the Senate floor.
Senator Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Senate finance committee, defends the proposed budget for the Philippine National Police during the plenary session on Friday, November 17, 2023. (Photo from Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
The current state of criminality was brought up by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel during the deliberations.
Responding to Pimentel鈥檚 questions, PNP, through Angara, reported the crimes recorded this year 鈥渟eem to be down鈥� nationwide, except for homicide.
鈥淧ero yan ang pinaka-grabe, homicide. Patayan yan e! That鈥檚 giving us a black eye in the international community,鈥� Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri lamented.
(But that鈥檚 the worst, homicide. Those are killings! That鈥檚 giving us a black eye in the international community.)
Zubiri cited as an example the case of radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon, who was shot dead this month while on air from his home in Misamis Occidental.
Another case is the of a woman and her live-in partner while on a bus in transit to Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, on Wednesday afternoon, the Senate leader noted.
The incident was caught on video, and it circulated on social media.
鈥淚 saw the video itself, and I said, 鈥極h my goodness! Parang baboy lang.鈥� Pinatay na parang baboy鈥︹�� Zubiri said.
(I saw the video and said, 鈥極h my goodness! Just like a pig.鈥� Killed just like pigs鈥�)
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva agreed with the Senate leader.
鈥淲e call it isolated incidents, but unfortunately, it鈥檚 all over the world. It鈥檚 online, the act and the brazen killing in front of everyone. This has never happened before,鈥� Villanueva said.
He then urged the PNP to act on these executions seriously.
鈥淚f we can鈥檛 do something about it, it speaks [volumes] of who we really are as Filipinos,鈥� he said.
鈥淪ino tayo bilang isang bansa? Kaya we need to act on this seriously,鈥� he told law enforcers.
(Who are we as a country? That is why we need to act on this seriously.)
鈥淎nd if we have to put in all our resources to solve (these cases)鈥� at ipakita natin sa mundo (let us show the world) that we condemn these acts and we鈥檙e not going to tolerate such actions,鈥� Villanueva said.