Are We Still Safe Here?

Cagayan de Oro City (CdOC), is known as the City of Golden Friendship, where camaraderie is recognized to be its very trademark. It has been the established characteristic of Cagay-anons for being welcoming and caring to its locals and foreigners. But, with the alarming concerns on safety due to the increasing crime rate in the said city, is it still representing the name it has made all throughout its existence?

As of March of this year, the city has dropped to 45% with regards to crime perpetration as per a report by the Police Regional Office (PRO) of Region 10. To mention, it has recorded 7,487 cases in 2017 and reduced to 4,118 in 2018. According to the same report, crime clearance efficiency in the locality has spiked to 87.2% in 2018 as compared to 72.4% in the previous year.

In contrast to the mentioned reports, Cagayan de Oro has earned a notorious notion of how it changed over the succeeding months, especially on July 2022. According to ACadeO, an online source for the latest updates about the city, on the 12th, two siblings were killed by a parking boy in Creekside, Macanhan, Brgy. Carmen. On the 17th, a delivery rider was stabbed to death while his girlfriend was allegedly raped along the unlit Coastal Road in Brgy. Lapasan. On the 19th, a boy was killed with a blow to the head while sleeping on the sidewalk, along P.N. Roa-Ferrabrel Streets, in Brgy. Carmen. On 21st, another boy was stabbed and killed using a broken bottle in Divisoria, in front of Xavier University. On the 23rd, an adult was shot and killed outside bars along Corrales Avenue. And the most recent, on 24th, an old mechanic was hacked to death in Naga, Brgy. Puerto. Other than these relatively consecutive abominations, some thefts and hold-ups have happened in the city for the same month.

These events have created panic and fear among the citizens of CDOC. The places mentioned were no longer the bright and loud areas. The reopened bars since the pandemic likely experienced a decreasing number of customers that usually go around for parties. Consequently, worries about stealing, robbery, violent attacks/crimes are now the prevalent reactions from the people who were bothered and frightened by the surging crime rate in the locality.

Cagayan de Oro has already established its name, yet not with how secured it is as before. Indeed, there is no doubt that what is currently happening in CdO is not just an atrocity, but a portrayal that there is no such perfect city. Any place could go nice and wild. A city could be safe and at the same time could be less secure. That being said, it boils down to everyone who lives or visits this place. That they should take the responsibility to be aware of what’s happening around them, cooperate with the implemented regulations, and remain vigilant at all times when going outside. Above all, the Local Government Unit (LGU) of CdO should reinforce necessary laws, increase patrolling police in the city, and execute practices that will promote peace, order, and security for visitors and the Cagay-anons.

by Ryan L. Ga-as