CRIME RATE AT SOLANO, NUEVA VIZCAYA

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Crime, which is one of the many forms of socio-cultural problems, is said to be one of the oldest problems in the entire universe. Almost all generations have been threatened by increasing crime and violence up to the present; no country has yet designed completely reliable methods for measuring the volume of crimes (Worldbook Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p.36).

Crime in the broadest legal sense, is an act committed in violation of a law forbidding it and for which a court may impose a variety of punishments, including fine, imprisonment, death, or removal from office (Grolier’s International Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p.373-375).

In the Philippines, criminologists have accepted that criminalistic tendencies and behavior could be influenced by social conditions. Crimes committed are invariably associated with some contributing factors such as economic, cultural influences, environment, social conditions, and individual personal temperaments. Crimes committed irrespective of the individual’s personal circumstances is an uncontrollable force resulting from the advancement of social life in a given time and place. Taking into consideration the present situation of economic crisis in the Philippines, most often, the crimes committed as reported by the Integrated National Police are due to poor economic conditions. The ordeal for survival and a financially unstable family often results in crimes against property, against persons, hold-up, kidnapping, prostitution, and estafa.

Individual personal temperaments influenced and motivated by revenge and hatred leads to crimes of passion. Geographically speaking, the Philippines are in the tropic zone, and theoretically, Filipinos are hot-blooded people with very volatile temperaments. The cold season does not seem to affect the Filipino temperament, therefore, climatic conditions have little affinity to the criminal propensity. Summer and rainy seasons show no difference in crime rates as they are almost of the same level irrespective of the locality of the country.

Sexual offenses, ranging from rape, abduction, acts of lasciviousness, and prostitution are prevalent in different localities of the country. The reason for this may be traced to the concept that in the Philippines, the criminal behavior of its people is greatly affected by their poor economic and social conditions, thus, making the act a social phenomenon. Where there is no economic stability, there is no peace and order in the community. And when man is angry, it means that he is hungry. Thus, the improvement of the economic condition for every Filipino has been emphasized and has always been given first preference and priority from among the projects in the program of the government (Tradio, 1986).

Crime as a social phenomenon is one of the perplexing problems confronting the Philippine society today. It jeopardizes internal safety and security; it hampers economic growth, and undermines the country’s political stability. To maintain law, peace and order, the political machinery or the government has to combat crime and criminality through the instruments of prevention and suppression; and through the concern of everybody.