Davao Region crime incidents rose by 12.35%

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 2 April) — Crime incidents in the Davao Region has increased by 12.35 percent during the first quarter of 2025, the Police Regional Office XI said during a press conference Wednesday.

Scene of crime operatives investigating a shooting incident in Davao City. DCPO photo

PRO-XI spokesperson Catherine dela Rey said that in the first quarter last year, from Jan. 1 until March 31, there were 4,673 incidents compared to 5,250 during the same period this year.

She said the reported number of crime incidents increased because the police also intensified “active campaigning against crimes.”

“Crime incident reporting is higher because of more law enforcement activities, like campaigns against illegal gambling, illegal drugs,” she said. “It’s good news in the sense that the police is active in law enforcement,” Dela Rey said in the press conference at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

Dela Rey pointed out that the overall crime incidents rose, those of the eight focus crimes—murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, carnapping, and motorcycle theft— declined by 17.18 percent: from 390 in the first quarter last year, to 323 this year.

Over the weekend, Philippine National Police Chief Rommel Marbil said that crimes nationwide declined by 26.76 percent, blaming social media for amplifying sensationalize cases, giving the “impression” that crimes in the country are “worsening.”

“Crime data clearly shows that incidents have declined, yet the exposure and visibility of certain cases, especially on social media, can give the impression that crime is worsening,” Marbil said in Filipino in a statement dated March 29.

Marbil added that crime rates declined by 26.76 percent since January 1, 2025 but did not provide a breakdown of the statistics in his statement.

Dela Rey echoed Marbil’s opinion on social media, noting that those with social media accounts just wanted to gain more views.

She pointed out the news that spread on social media about the claim that the residence of former President Rodrigo Duterte in Doña Luisa Subdivision here will be served a search warrant to find some evidence on his war on drugs campaign.

As a result, some neighbors of Duterte continually gathered around his house to apparently protect his residence from supposed police intrusion, believing the police might “plant evidence” there. Residents are still flocking Duterte’s residence since March 13 until today.

But no warrant came, Dela Rey noted.

In Davao City alone, several social media posts labeled as “awareness” were denied by the police.

The famous one was on Feb. 10, where the Davao City Police Office denied the video post of Facebook user Diocelyn Jabillo that there was an alleged “hostage-taking” incident, which was immediately shared by several Facebook users as well. As it turned out, it was a case of a man choking a woman inside a running PUJ. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)