AUG.

9, 2013

NR # 3190

Students to get updated crime situation in their communities

Students will be updated on the status of the crime rate in their localities under a bill mandating all schools to post inside their campuses the current crime situation in their communities. Rep. Mariano Piamonte, Jr. (Party-list, A Teacher), one of the authors of House Bill 43, said all schools will be required to post the current crime situation of the community at five conspicuous places inside schools or universities, five days before the start of every enrolment period. The proposed Crime Awareness for Schools, College and Universities Act is also authored by Rep. Julieta Cortuna (Partly-list, A Teacher). Piamonte said the objective is to help the people in the educational institutions to be informed of the crime situations and statistics, making them more vigilant and aware of their own safety. Piamonte said the parents, guardian, the administrators, school workers, and the students have the right to be informed about the condition surrounding their schools premises. With news about students, teachers, school administrators being murdered, bullied, mugged, raped, and generally transgressed upon, it is high time for us to seriously consider what we, as lawmakers, can do to keep them prepared and alert inside the school campus, Piamonte said. It is the right of every Filipino to be informed of the situations, current and otherwise, that involve the safety and security of those in the school premises, a vital information that everybody deserves, Piamonte stressed. Although it is given that the police should protect and serve, without any condition and limitation, we can never deny the fact that sometimes, the police fall short in some aspects, Cortuna said. Under the bill, the schools are mandated to post the copies of crime situations on the bulletin boards during enrolment and remain posted until the end of the current school year. The school and university administrator shall, at least 30 days before the enrolment, inform the police station commander who has jurisdiction over the area where the school is located the exact date of enrolment. The police station commander shall respond within 15 days with his signed copy of the updated crime rate and condition within its jurisdiction, which includes the crime/s committed, the date when the crime was committed, the place where the crime was committed, the status of the case and the names of the convicted offenders. (30) jc