The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs is set to conduct a public hearing on the rising incidence of carnapping in the country.
The hearing, joint with the committee on public services, is scheduled at 1 p.m. at the (Senate) Session Hall on May 12. Sen. Grace Poe- Llamanzares, chair of the Senate public order, will take the lead in investigating the issue.
Poe said numerous reports of carnapping and car theft cases have triggered widespread fear among private vehicle owners. Earlier, she pushed for a measure seeking to impose stiffer penalties on these criminal activities.
Citing data from the National Statistical and Coordination Board, Poe said a total of 44,438 carnapping incidents had been reported from 2009 to 2013, equivalent to 8,888 stolen cars per year. In the first quarter of 2014 alone, the Philippine National Police reported a whopping increase of 68.5 percent in carnapping cases, representing 3,170 cases compared with 1,881 cases recorded in the same period of 2013.
Manila Bulletin
