Crimes vs. persons drop in Metro Manila under ‘Safer Cities’ campaign

By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan, Philippine News Agency

NUMBERS DOWN. Philippine National Police (PNP) Director for Operations Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio Peñones briefs reporters at Camp Crame on Thursday (April 16, 2026), presenting data showing a decline in crimes against persons in Metro Manila during the first two weeks of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s “Safer Cities” initiative. The campaign enforces ordinances such as a 10 p.m. curfew for minors, a ban on public drinking, and restrictions on shirtless roaming and late-night videoke. (PNA photo by Lloyd Caliwan)

MANILA – Crimes against persons in Metro Manila have declined since the April 6 implementation of the “Safer Cities” initiative, police said Thursday.

Comparative monitoring from March 28 to April 5 and April 6 to 14 showed decreases across major crimes: murder fell from 91 to 82 (down 9.8 percent), homicide from 28 to 17 (39.3 percent), physical injuries from 132 to 102 (22.7 percent), and rape from 96 to 74 (22.9 percent).

In a press briefing, Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio Peñones, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director for Operations, said this reflects the continued impact of intensified police visibility and stricter enforcement under the initiative.

Meanwhile, Peñones noted that theft cases rose by 1.5 percent, from 272 to 276.

“The PNP is continuously revisiting our interventions on how to stop these incidents,” Peñones said.

The campaign, launched by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), enforces ordinances such as a 10 p.m. curfew for minors, ban on public drinking and restrictions on shirtless roaming and late-night videoke.

On Wednesday alone, police apprehended 6,332 violators in Metro Manila, lower than the 9,751 daily average during the first week of the initiative’s rollout.

A breakdown of the April 15 data, as presented by Peñones during the briefing, showed that drinking in public remained the most common violation with 1,588 cases, followed by curfew violations (438), loitering topless (199), and using karaoke beyond 10 p.m. (46). There were also 4,061 violations of other local ordinances recorded.

Of the 6,332 violators, 3,377 were warned and released, 2,843 were fined and 112 were criminally charged.