Yt Framework

“The frightening rise of shooting incidents in Zamboanga City is not normal anymore. We need leaders who have the political will to solve this problem.”

This was the reaction of ZTZ vice mayoralty aspirant Mercy Arquiza Fernandez yesterday as she called on concerned officials and the police to find solution to the deteriorating peace and order problem of the city.

Fernandez said the city has idle funds amounting to billions of pesos deposited in banks yet, little is being done to allocate money for the purchase of surveillance cameras to be placed in many intersections and strategic areas of the city.

“Many other local government units are now using this modern technology and is already assisting the police pinpoint and identify suspected criminals. If our local government was able to appropriate P10 millions of calamity funds to help Luzon and Manila, why can’t we buy CCTV cameras? What is keeping them from buying and installing these gadgets the soonest time possible,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said helping other government units especially the people who are affected by floods in Luzon and Manila is good but leaders should also concentrate in finding solution to the problem in their own backyard.

She said the image of the city is further deteriorating and if the killings continue unabated, tourism and business establishments will be affected.

“Jeepney drivers plying the routes of the city have now cut their time travel especially at night. Before they get passengers until 10 p.m. but now most of them go home early because they fear for their lives if they will stay longer in the streets,” Fernandez said.

According to Fernandez, there is a big signage at the boundary of Sibugay and Zamboanga which reads “You are now entering a gun-free city” and yet there are now 120 victims who have been killed with the use of guns.

“There are so many loose firearms proliferating in the city. You know why, because we are not strict. There are so many checkpoints, but the ones manning it, are not strictly checking the people. Police visibility is also very important,” Fernandez emphasized.

She favors the conduct of Zona by police and military authorities in different barangays suspected to have loose firearms.

“Long before, the police in coordination with barangay and city officials conduct zona in many barangays going from one house to the other to check for guns. And there were so many guns confiscated and the arrest of the gun owners who do not have the proper papers to own the guns. We are too lax in the implementation of the gun ban,” Fernandez stressed.

“Our leaders must do something to stop these killings. We are not safe anymore,” Fernandez declared.

By Nonong Santiago