Iloilo City boosts police presence at Esplanade

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The city government of Iloilo will increase police visibility at the Esplanade section in the Lapuz district following an incident involving alleged gang activity on Friday evening, June 21.

“I already ordered the police to provide on-duty police personnel to patrol the Esplanade. We will deploy police and police auxiliaries,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas in a press conference on Monday, June 24.

According to Treñas, an investigation is underway, and some gang members have already been apprehended.

To further ensure peace and order, the city mayor also announced plans to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) in various parts of the city’s Esplanade.

“We have a plan to put CCTVs in the area. We already have estimates on how many we are going to put there. We will put them there gradually,” he stressed.

He added that the city administrator is currently working on securing the necessary funds for the procurement of the CCTVs.

In a Facebook post on Friday, netizen Ivan Dave Cuison Sansaet recounted the incident, saying, “Iloilo City is still not a safe place to wander.”

Sansaet said he was supposed to hang out at the Esplanade, but an adult man approached him and asked for help, saying he was beaten by six boys using a tree branch.

The man’s bag, which contained his wallet and other personal belongings, was allegedly stolen by several men.

Treñas noted that a similar incident will not happen again considering that the Lapuz district will now have its own police station following the establishment of Police Station 8, which is housed at the old barangay hall of Barangay Bo. Obrero, Lapuz.

The new police district, set to be activated on July 2, will serve 12 barangays of the Lapuz district.

The city mayor also welcomed Numbeo’s Safety Index for 2023, which declared Iloilo City as the 8th Safest City in Southeast Asia with a 58.9 safety index score.