THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) denied allegations of rampant theft and hold-ups in the city following viral social posts about it.
"Kanang mga ginapost, gi-validate naman namo sa mga kada-estasyon kung asa man to na-belong ang mga places nga gipang-mention nga ingon nahitabo upon negative, walay naka-report ug walay nitapatim-aw nga complainant na biktima sa pagpag hold-up (We already validated those claims on social media and investigated the locations indicated but it turns out to be negative and there's no complainant or victims who have filed a police blotter)," PMaj. Teresita Gaspan, DCPO spokesperson, said in an interview with VoxPop Davao on August 19, 2022.
Gaspan said from January-August this year, there were only 69 theft cases reported and these have been resolved.
On August 18, 2022, a Facebook user claimed that the theft incidents in the city are happening at an alarming rate. The listed some streets and places where most of the incidents happened: Padre Gomez St. near Ateneo de Davao University, Gaisano Mall of Davao-Bajada's comfort room, 7/11 near Felcris Centrale, and Catalunan Grande.
The Gaisano Mall of Davao released a statement on August 19, 2022, also denying allegations.
"This is to inform the public not to believe the fake news circulating about a series of hold-up and robbery incidents that happened inside our mall. Upon our investigation, these allegations are baseless and untrue causing unwarranted fear and worry to the public," Gaisano Mall of Davao said on their Facebook Page.
Gaisano Mall of Davao said that they will continue to thrive in creating a positive shopping experience and reassuring their customers of their safety and security inside their premises.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, said on Friday, August 19, that social media posts on recent crimes in the city as "for clout" and propagate fake news as it creates fear and panic, and demoralizes the efforts of the DCPO.
He said that reporting about the crime should be left to the media and the police, and should not be posted online by civilians or non-media practitioners.
"Ayaw ninyo ingon ana-a kay na ningkamot atong mga pulis. Mademoralize sila. Kadaghan ninyo pwede buhaton para mapansin mo (Do not post online about unverified information because our police are doing their best. This can demoralize them. There are a lot of other things you can do for online attention) Let the media report it (the crimes) and let the police give a reply," he said during a radio interview.
The mayor admitted that a few crime incidents still take place in the city, such as hold-up and akyat-bahay incidents, but emphasized that the city government and the police continue to work on apprehending involved suspects.
Thus, he said the public should report the incidents they encounter to the police so that it can be dealt with accordingly by the authorities through proper process and investigation.
"Moingon mo way gina buhat ang gobyerno? What do you expect? Unsa mi batman na naay ma hitabo dira na incidente moabot dayun mi, mangarate mi'g mga kriminal? I report ninyo sa police, ipa-blotter ninyo para kabalo mi sa incident, ma-imbestigahan, masulbad ang problema, (How can you say that the government is not doing anything? We are not superheroes that can appear right away in a crime incident to beat the suspects. You have to report the incident to the police so we can know about it and investigate it to solve the problem)" Duterte said.
In line with this, Gaspan urged the public to report the cases on their Facebook Page or reach out to their Police Stations for them to resolve claims.
"Let us also be reminded to be responsible in posting unconfirmed reports online to avoid any legal implications. We, therefore, encourage everyone to exercise vigilance and report any unlawful acts to our nearest police station or place your complaints to our official social media accounts so that we could promptly act and address the matter appropriately. Lastly, we assure everyone that Davao City is safe as we are doing our best efforts to secure and protect everyone who lives and sojourn the City," DCPO said in their recent press release provided through a text message. KSD with ICM
