Crimes committed vs foreigners in Metro hit 94 in 2009

MANILA, Philippines – The number of crimes committed against foreigners in Metro Manila hit 94 last year, a leading risk consultancy firm said.

In a report furnished to The STAR, the Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA) said majority of crimes against foreigners involved petty thefts and robberies and are not violent. “Foreigners and tourists are perceived to be wealthy and/or carrying large sums of cash,” PSA said in a report dated Aug. 30.

“Petty thefts and robberies are generally crimes of opportunity and targets can be any individual – local or foreign – who seem to be unfamiliar with their surroundings, unguarded, and could be an easy prey for robber, snatching and pick-pocketing.”

Separate PSA data showed that there were 63 crimes against foreigners in Metro Manila in 2008.

PSA, which has offices in Manila, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Milwaukee and Sydney, said 26 incidents involving 27 foreign victims were recorded as of end-July, lower by 22 cases compared to the first seven months of 2009. The report said Makati consistently recorded the most number of crimes mainly because it has the country’s largest expatriate community.

Short-term impact

PSA said the hostage crisis in Manila and the killing by robbers of a Korean in the boundary of Cainta and Pasig are expected to have at least a short-term impact on the country. Both crimes transpired Aug. 23. “Both incidents are expected to deal at least a short-term blow to the Philippines – a country which is trying desperately to portray itself as a, safe, viable and attractive business and tourist destination under the Aquino administration, it said.

The risk consultancy firm, however, believes that the Philippines remains a safe destination for investors and tourists. “While all of these events are troubling and should be well-understood by foreign visitors especially residents, PSA maintains that the Philippines and Metro Manila are secure and safe for business and travel and the criminal threat remains at par with other major Asian and global cities,” PSA said.

The PSA report was released a week after the bloody Manila hostage incident, which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead and seven others wounded. –Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)