Hopeful

Last week, I was informed that Col. Tomasito Clet, the COP of Iriga City for several years now was transferred to Naga City.

I felt mixed emotions. I felt really sad that Col. Clet left our beloved Iriga. He really made such great difference in our City with his team up with our Mayor Madel A. Gazmen. Crime in Iriga is almost zero and during Col. Clet's tenure he was able to make important and substantial drug busts that paralyzed, if not completely eradicated the proliferation of drugs in our City.

In a way, I also feel HOPEFUL, because at last Naga City will have a Chief of Police that is known for his integrity and being an action man. He is a man of results, and is very humble. I think he came to Naga just in time.

You see, about a month ago, there was an attempted break-in and robbery at my store in General Luna Street, just a stone's throw away from the Naga City Police Headquarters.

We had break-ins before, but they just got a cd player worth about P3,000.00 and about P1,000.00 in cash. It was in 2006. My stay-in tinderas reported to me that sometimes, they would hear someone attempting to break-in the store but since my husband installed three door locks those who attempted to do so -- with my tinderas in the store were not successful.

Fast forward to about a month ago... my husband was woken up at about 3:00AM by a call from our Store Manager. She told him that someone tried to break in the store. The small door (service entrance) of the store was destroyed save for a lock at the top of the door that kept it to the doorjamb. Apparently, the man attempting to break-in used a crowbar to destroy the door.

What was really scary was the fact that I have two tinderas who sleep in the store. One tindera was in shock and just stayed in a corner. My other tindera got a knife and attempted to hit the hand of the robber everytime it tries to hold the door and push it. In fact, my tindera claims that he was able to hit the man's hand several times and was sure that it must have left a wound. So what does this mean? The man knows there are people inside the store yet he insisted to break-in. I was sure that if he was successful, he will kill my tinderas.

It was a good thing that my store manager was just living in a boarding house near the store. My tinderas called her up at the start when they heard that someone was trying to knockdown the door. My store manager immediately dropped by the station before proceeding to the store. When the police and my manager arrived the roober was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he left when a police mobile left the station just before the police and my manager arrived at the store.

I am just so disappointed that Naga City, which has been lauded by several award giving bodies for good governance and being the best... a world-class city, cannot even solve the criminality proliferating in the urban center. That whole lane of laundry shops, ukay-ukay stores, beauty salons along general luna st., near Barlin St., very, very near --- literally a stones throw away from the Naga City Police Headquarters have been plagued by robbers, thieves, holdapers and other criminals for years now. Aside from our store, the Tad's Laundry Shop was also broken in last month, for the second time ha! Even the Menasec Drugstore which is within the compound of the police station was robbed. I mean... is this world-class? Utang na loob naman!

Last SONA, the economist Solita Monsod said of GMA's speech, that it is true that the economy of the Philippines is doing good but it is regrettable that the Filipino poor does not feel the benefits of this good economy.

Like Naga, it might be true that Jessie Robredo is the best Mayor the City of Naga will ever have with great governance policies, but it is regrettable that a simple problem like peace and order cannot be solved.

I dream of a day when I can once again walk the streets of Naga without being afraid that my bag or my celphone will be snatched away from me or no longer see elementary school age kids sniffing rugby at the Barlin Statue, right in front of the Naga City Police Station. I am always HOPEFUL.