HPG: ‘Rise of carnap cases not alarming’

By Keren Anne Bernadas

LEGAZPI CITY --- PCOL Erwin Rebellon, the regional chief of Highway Patrol Group (RHPG) in Bicol, announced that carnapping incidents in the region has gradually increased in the last year, but is not alarming at all. He made this statement during the newly-activated sub-committee on traffic management and enforcement, and anti-carnapping meeting held Thursday, November 23 in Daraga, Albay.

From November 2022 to 2023, about seven motor vehicles (MV) were carnapped. Five of these cases have been resolved. About 43 percent increase was tallied form 2021-2022 report with only three carnapped MVs.

Around 133 motorcycles were also carnapped, according to the same report. The Province of Albay got the most number of motornapping incidents in the region with 68, followed by Camarines Sur, 48, Masbate, four, Camarines Norte, four, Catanduanes, four, and Sorsogon, three.

On the timeline, RHPG Bicol also recovered 22 vehicles, issued 15 warrant of arrests, and conducted 16 warrantless arrests. The agency has issued 64, 804 tickets to erring drivers.

During the discussion, Rebellon said that motorcyles are vulnerable as a prey to would-be carnappers if not attended and secured properly by the owners. Vehicles lacking safety features are also at risk to carnappers.

PCOL Erwin Rebellon, the regional chief of Highway Patrol Group in Bicol leads the sub-committee on traffic management and enforcement, and anti-carnapping meeting on Thursday, November 23 in Daraga, Albay.

The RHPG found out that Bicol region is free from professional caranappers but being used as the main trans-shipment points of stolen and alarmed MVs coming from Metro Manila using the Daang Marharlika Highway as the main supply route to Visasyas and Mindanao.

Albeit the situation, police authorities continue to intensify various interventions to preempt, reduce and decrease the occurrence of caranaping incidents in the region. This involves conduct of dialogue among public riders, distribution and posting of IEC materials, inter-agency coordination, wider media mileage, daily patrolling to prone areas, simultaneous localized anti-carnap operations, verification of vehicle platers using vehicle information management system.

This sub-committee was created after the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee convened earlier this month.

Inputs on traffic management, on the other hand, also included suggestions from the representatives of the Land Transportation Office on the convergence of the local governments’ local rerouting policies to the national government agencies’ existing traffic policies in order to unify its courses and implementations.

The sub-committee is composed of the following national agencies: National Bureau of Investigation, Land Transportation and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Port Authority, National Telecommunication Commission, Regional Maritime Unit, Regional Criminal Investigation and Detective Units and Philippine Information Agency. (PIA5/Camarines Sur)