‘Child criminals’ on the rise in Bacolod, Iloilo

By FLORENCE F. HIBIONADA / PNS
November 27, 2011

ILOILO CITY  –  Children as victims and children as suspects are both on the rise with highest in statistics in Bacolod City and the Province of Iloilo.

With official figures released by Police Regional Office (PRO) 6, 2010’s record of 983 total crimes committed by children is expected to be “outnumbered” this year.

This as between January to June of 2011 alone, the total has reached 811 already topped by Bacolod City with 244.  Iloilo Province is 220 to date from its total of 320 last year.

The 2011 crimes with children as suspects has theft as number one crime followed by physical injury.  Incidentally, physical injury too is the crime committed to children.

In Iloilo, theft is number one as well committed by “child criminals” while rape is a significant number at 12 child-suspects to date.  Illegal possession of firearms has two on record in Iloilo in contrast to the six of Bacolod.

Even Frustrated and Attempted Murder and Homicide charges have children as suspects with six in Iloilo and three in Bacolod.

Good news for Capiz with the least in child-criminals at “only” 20 to date.

To note, PRO 6 in a report also released statistics on criminal incidents against children in Western Visayas Region.

With total recorded incidents at 1,389 for the period of January to June of 2011 alone, physical injury and maltreatment top the nature of crimes committed.

In Iloilo province, physical injury and maltreatment too is the top crime committed against the children at 181, a near second to Bacolod City’s 186.

Sadly, rape is next highest in Iloilo crimes with minors as victims at 80 incidents, way higher than Bacolod’s 23.

The rest of the statistics recorded 29 child abuse cases, 25 acts of lascivious conduct and 12 threats.  Further still is 7 on attempted, frustrated murder and homicide and 4 on seduction and abduction cases.