ZAMBOANGA CITY—Mayor John Dalipe convened the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) for its second-quarter meeting on Wednesday, where he urged barangay intelligence networks (BINs) across the city’s 98 barangays to fulfill their mandate in intelligence gathering to assist law enforcement in crime prevention and resolution.
Dalipe expressed concern over the perceived inefficiency of BIN members despite receiving monthly honoraria from the city government. He emphasized that their contributions to intelligence gathering remained inadequate, particularly in identifying and monitoring suspected criminals in their communities.
“We might as well give that [honorarium] to the police if they are not doing their job,” Dalipe remarked, referencing the continued occurrence of shooting incidents. The latest cases were reported in Barangays Calarian and Salaan on the same day as the CPOC meeting.
Meanwhile, the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO), represented by Col. Paul Andrew Cortez, reported a decline in the city’s eight focus crimes during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The report highlighted a significant 28% drop in murder cases and shooting incidents, from 22 cases in the first quarter of 2024 to 16 this year.
Of these 16 shooting incidents, police have cleared five cases, solved seven, and continue to investigate the remaining four. Authorities have also obtained a warrant of arrest against the suspect in the Falcatan, Tetuan shooting, which resulted in the deaths of three individuals.
Other crimes also saw a decline, including rape cases, which dropped from 51 to 28 (45.09%); robbery, from 12 to 7 (41.67%); theft, from 55 to 38 (44.74%); homicide, from 4 to 1 (75%); physical injuries, from 25 to 11 (28%); and motorcycle carnapping, from 13 to 10 (30%).
Despite the overall downtrend, Mayor Dalipe underscored the importance of strengthening intelligence efforts at the barangay level to ensure continued progress in crime prevention and public safety. Authorities are expected to review and improve coordination between BINs and law enforcement to enhance community-based intelligence gathering.
