THE DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) said the Oplan Kilos program has demonstrated effectiveness in curbing sexual crimes.
During the Davao Peace and Security Press Corps press conference held at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, DCPO spokesperson Captain Hazel Tuazon cited a reduction in rape cases from 62 from January to May 2023 to 41 this year.
Tuazon highlighted that a significant proportion of these cases involved incest, with fathers, uncles, or other relatives as the primary perpetrators.
“While rape remains a concern among the eight focus crimes for the DCPO, the Oplan Kilos program has made a notable impact in decreasing reported cases,” Tuazon said.
“Our city director is committed to further reducing and ultimately eliminating rape in Davao City,” she added.
The spokesperson emphasized the DCPO’s intensified efforts to prevent and lessen rape cases across its 19 police stations.
These efforts include collaborating with barangay officials to identify high-risk areas and raise awareness about the issue, particularly regarding the prevalence of incestuous rape within households.
“We are working tirelessly to address this issue, recognizing that the majority of these crimes occur within homes rather than in public spaces,” Tuazon said.
“We urge the community to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases of abuse,” she added.
Part of the information drive she said is informing the teenagers, especially the victims who are even males.” So for us, if something happens, we will not let an hour pass to arrest the suspect,” she said.
In the proactive measures as instructed by the City Police director Col Hansen Marantan, she said police will conduct a pulong-pulong (gathering) sa barangay hall and even in houses to inform the families.
“We are also informing the males on what would be their consequences if they’ll do such raping,” she added.
After the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, Col Marantan also instructed to strengthen the Oplan Kilos program to lessen such rape cases, wherein the Women and Child and Protection Desk (WCPD) will go to the remote areas where most of the cases happen and conduct an information drive.
“So we will educate them, inform them what would be the good things to do and inform them so that they will not become victims of rape,” she further said.
Also, in schools, she said if students have problems the teachers should also reach out to students because there are cases that the victims of rape will reveal to their teachers. “will help them because this is a public crime,” she added.
Further, she cannot confirm if most victims are students but said most victims are between the age of 11 to 17 years old.
She further explained that in the 41 cases, there are incidents that happened last year which are considered late reports, but revealed that one of the cases is a 16-year-old boy. “So, in our information dissemination with the parents, they were informed that what the said child was done is rape.”
“Will also be clear that in rape incidents there is no need for penetration but some of them are sexual assault so we have criteria for that, that’s why our rape cases are rising but some of them have no penetration,” she added.
Tuazon said mostly the rape cases happened inside the houses.
