In early June, a Chinese father and son were ambushed by a gang of four Filipino men in the Rufino underground passage in the Makati financial district of the Philippines, where their passports, cash, and bank cards were stolen in a highly perilous incident.
Shockingly, the Philippine police and security personnel managed to arrest the perpetrators and recover almost all the stolen items within just 3 minutes.
The incident occurred in a dimly lit, sparsely populated underground passage. 26-year-old Zian and his father Yiping were surrounded by four individuals during their walk. One of the attackers caused a disturbance to create chaos, while another seized the opportunity to snatch their bag, clearly targeting the Chinese community with premeditation.
Fortunately, the father's pursuit caught the attention of security, prompting a rapid response from the southern police district, which resulted in the arrest and recovery of losses within 3 minutes of the incident.
This rare display of efficient law enforcement is linked to the Philippines' recent initiatives of "high visibility patrols" and a "3-5 minute response mechanism" pilot.
The police are deploying 60,000 cameras, drones, and body cams, aiming to enhance the speed and transparency of public safety responses through technological means.
However, there are still doubts externally: Was this incident just luck, or has the system truly changed? Whether the police force, equipment, and command can operate consistently and stably remains to be seen. Whether the Philippines can truly establish systemic protection and become "really safer" is a question that time will answer.
