oust-Marcos plot, PNP assures

MANILA— The Philippine National Police (PNP) reassured the public there is no brewing destabilization plot as it dismissed reports of “uneasiness” among its ranks.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo made the statement when asked for comment about former president Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that the military and the police are closely watching the political developments at the House of Representatives amid the allegedly emerging alliance between Speaker Martin Romualdez and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro.

“On the part of the PNP, hindi tayo makikilahok sa anumang attempt na i-destabilize itong ating government. Bagama’t sabi ko nga, ang PNP ay nakahanda para i-defend ang security at sovereignty ng ating bansa but these political issues, sana ay huwag na masama pa iyong PNP (On the part of the PNP we will not participate in any attempt to destabilize our government. Although as I said, the PNP is ready to defend the security and sovereignty of our country but I hope the PNP would be excluded from these political issues),” she said.

“Mayroon tayong mandato na i-enforce iyong ating mga batas but kagaya ng sinabi ko kanina na as an institution, ang PNP po (We have a mandate to enforce our laws, as I said earlier, as an institution, the PNP is)

100 percent behind this administration,” she added.

During his SMNI program on Wednesday, Duterte said Congress should be sensitive to the sentiments of the military and the police.

“Bantayan ninyo ang military pati pulis. Kayong nakipagkonsabo... hindi ko kayo tinatakot. Pero, bantayan ninyo ang military pati pulis. Ilan ang namatay at pinatay ninyo na pulis pati militar (Watch the military and the police closely. You who are conniving… I am not scaring you. But watch the military and the police. How many soldiers and police have been killed already)?” Duterte said, referring to security forces’ deaths at the hands of Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army rebels.

The former chief executive is facing a complaint filed by Castro, who accused him of grave threats and red-tagging

CAMP CRAME, Quezon City – Eight “focus crimes” decreased by 8.18 percent from January to October compared to the same period in 2022, according to the Philippine National Police.

The so-called eight focus crimes are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, theft, robbery, car theft and motorcycle theft.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said there 31,864 of such crimes as of October, down from 34,702 last year.

“We can attribute this decrease in the fi rst 10 months of the year to our eff orts to improve security nationwide,” she said.

She said she believes the PNP’s strong information dissemination campaign also contributed in making the public more aware on ways they can ensure their security.

Meanwhile, she assured the public that the PNP is on alert as the Christmas season approaches, anticipating an increase in “crimes against property.”

“But the PNP, together with other security forces, are confi dent that we will maintain this improved crime trend through our close cooperation with other security forces,” she said.

On the slay of radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon, Fajardo said the police is close to identifying the second suspect.

She said one of the three attackers might have also fi gured in another shooting incident that targeted a municipal engineer in Calamba, Misamis Occidental in October 2023.

Fajardo said the gun used in the killing of Jumalon matched the one used in the municipal engineer’s case.

Hungry Filipino families fall to

MANILA – The number of Filipino families who experienced “involuntary” hunger at least once in the third quarter of the year fell to 9.8 percent, according to the latest survey by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 poll found that hunger incidence in the past three months was lower than the 10.4 percent registered in second quarter and the same as the 9.8 percent in fi rst quarter.

According to SWS, the September 2023 hunger fi gure is composed of 8.4 percent of respondents who said they experienced moderate hunger and 1.3 percent who experienced severe hunger.

As of September 2023, the experience of hunger was highest among those in Metro Manila at 17.3 percent from 15.7 percent in June 2023, followed by Balance Luzon at 10.3 percent from 11.3 percent, Visayas at 6.7 percent from 9.3 percent, and Mindanao at 6.7 percent from 6.3 percent.

“The 0.6-point decline in Overall Hunger between June 2023 and September 2023 was due to declines in the Visayas and Balance Luzon, combined with a rise in Metro Manila and a steady score in Mindanao,” SWS said.

SWS said the rate of overall hunger fell among the self-rated poor from 10.8 percent in June 2023 to 7.7 percent in September 2023, as well as among the selfrated food-poor from 9.4 percent to 7 percent.

The September survey showed that 48 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as poor, 27 percent as borderline poor, and 25 percent as not poor.

Meanwhile, some 34 percent of families rated themselves as food-poor, 35 percent as borderline foodpoor, and 31 percent and not food-poor.

The survey had 1,200 adult respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent for national percentages