Carjacking on the rise

In 2011, two car dealers were kidnapped and their charred remains found days later. Police investigators said Venson Evangelista, Emerson Lozano and his driver Ernani Sencil were victims of a carjacking ring led by brothers Raymond and Roger Dominguez.

The level of violence in carjacking incidents has gone down since the arrest of the brothers and their cohorts. But cases of car thefts and carjackings are reportedly again on the rise, with the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs poised to start a probe. The committee, noting that an average of 8,888 motor vehicles were stolen every year from 2009 to 2013, wants stronger penalties for carjacking, with accused offenders denied bail.

Last year, according to records gathered by the Senate panel, car thefts and carjackings rose by 68.5 percent in the first quarter alone, from 1,881 cases recorded over the same period in the previous year to 3,170 cases. Commenting on the looming Senate probe, the police command in the National Capital Region said car theft and carjacking cases in Metro Manila in fact went down in the first three months of 2015. The NCR Police Office also said some of the reported cases involved the fake carjacking of taxicabs and old vehicles, although the NCRPO failed to provide exact figures for what it called

“carnap me” cases. NCRPO officials, however, supported higher penalties for carjacking and denial of bail for carjack suspects. Police officials may dispute the figures, but they must brace for more cases of ransom kidnapping, carjacking and car theft, bank robbery and other crimes against property, which usually go up when elections approach, according to anti-crime groups. Lawmakers should push for stiffer penalties particularly for public servants who abet carjacking and car theft. Penalties should also be increased for fencing.

Like drug trafficking and kidnapping for ransom, stealing motor vehicles can be a highly lucrative crime. It flourishes because there are public servants who issue fake registration papers and license plates for stolen vehicles. Owners of private garages where stolen vehicles are altered must also face stiff penalties. Those who steal vehicle parts also thrive because there are ready fences for the stolen goods.

As the cases of Evangelista and Lozano have shown, people are murdered for this illegal activity. The law needs more teeth to stop this crime.