By: Leandro Y Paralisan and Rommel K Manwong | LEAPS Academy
The COVID-19 Pandemic - while others see this one as a dreadful crisis,
others consider it as an opportunity. For instance, the criminally minded
individuals see this an opportunity to commit crimes while people are in fear and
in the state of chaos. It is unbearable to think that criminals and terror
groups continue making profit from their criminal trade while nations are
deeply in trouble, while government resources are tied up in combating the disease,
while communities plagued with anxiety confronted with the thought of having to
survive and live.
The COVID-19 is seen as a threat to the existence of mankind. It brings
with it a multitude of sympathetic threats that we have to deal with all
together. These “Threat Factors”, at a time when nations and people are
embattled on the ground, also needed attention. New and overwhelming
information from around limitless bounds of the internet has at this point come
flooding everyday about people and countries fighting the unseen enemy. Yet
criminals, with no fear, continue to be existent in between this misery,
interrupting government efforts to stop the contagion.
In between the global efforts and each nation’s fight for survival
against the dreadful disease, crime and terrorism are still emanating in
varying terms creating havoc. When Philippine authorities are swiftly staging
up measures against the contagion, a handful of these measures tend to impact
on threat dynamics and existing crime landscape. This is when criminals are
quick to exploit the vulnerabilities subsequent to this ongoing crisis by
adapting new method or modus operandi. Among other identified threat factors
that would render significant impacts to crime and terrorism includes:
- Extraordinary demand for basic commodities, health care instruments, protective gears, health and pharmaceutical products.
- Constriction of mobility and movement of people across ECQ areas.
- Work at Home System when there is a surge of people pushed to work with internet, digital marketing, electronic social media platforms.
- Curtailed public and social activities will make criminals starve and will become innovative in engaging new crime ideas for the sake of survival.
- Public anxiety and fear that may render people to vulnerable to exploitation.
- If government fails to sustain the basic necessities up until this crisis is stable shall likely result to massive looting, robbery, theft, mugging and other crimes against persons and property.
Dynamics of Crimes at the Current Times
Prevailing Terror Atrocities (Fighting the Enemy in Two Fronts) – At the
midst of the pandemic, Philippine Terror Groups and CTG’s (Communist Terrorist
Group) continue to sow fear launching relentless attacks on weaker communities,
civilian targets and government forces doing humanitarian operations. This
despite the unilateral ceasefire declared by the government, along with orders
issued to the military and the police to stand down and focus on the fight
against COVID-19. This however did not sit well with several terror groups that
continued conducting armed operations. The recent killing of a Datu in Surigao
Del Sur, and the reinforced calculated attacks on government troopers came as a
solid proof of terror atrocities – a show of total disrespect of agreements
much more to humanity.
Cybercriminals on the Go (The Internet Opportunists) – the INTERPOL has published significant rise on cybercrimes. Cybercriminals are seen exploiting the pandemic. The pandemic offered an opportunity for fast cash. Criminals took advantage of the high market demand for personal protection of hygiene products as noted from online links advertising items related to COVID-19 selling counterfeit surgical masks online. The seizure of more than 34,000 counterfeit and substandard masks, “corona spray”, “coronavirus packages” or “coronavirus medicine” is only the tip of the iceberg regarding this new trend in counterfeiting.
Cybercriminals on the Go (The Internet Opportunists) – the INTERPOL has published significant rise on cybercrimes. Cybercriminals are seen exploiting the pandemic. The pandemic offered an opportunity for fast cash. Criminals took advantage of the high market demand for personal protection of hygiene products as noted from online links advertising items related to COVID-19 selling counterfeit surgical masks online. The seizure of more than 34,000 counterfeit and substandard masks, “corona spray”, “coronavirus packages” or “coronavirus medicine” is only the tip of the iceberg regarding this new trend in counterfeiting.
Cyber criminals are taking advantage of organizational policies “Work
At Home” by launching malicious links that appear to be legitimate information
from public health officials and other news sources about the growing
coronavirus risk (Ewing, et.al, 2020). This instance may increase the risk as employees
may use unsecured Wi-Fi networks, handle information outside of secure
channels, and may use personal devices contrary to organization’s security
policies. These factors doubled the risk of cybersecurity and privacy cases
that could lead to ransomware infections, business email compromise, or
compromise of information.
Filipino cyber criminals had their own way of competing with
international counter parts that brought the rise of unscrupulous deals over
the internet with volume of arrest carried out by the Criminal Investigation and
Detection Group of the Philippine National Police. These crimes stemmed from
hoarding (overpricing of essential health care products) such as alcohol,
masks, temp scanners and other protective equipment thru various online
platforms. There has been a noticeable rise in crimes perpetrated individually
and as groups over the internet to include massive misinformation with intent
to create public chaos and panic. Cyber criminals are also said to have infected
the famous app “Tiktok” with spyware and phishing programs with the intent to
collate personal information and unfiltered video material from millions of
users who turned to “Tiktok” habit when Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was
in effect.
Fake News Instigators and Con-Artists (The Craving for Chaos and Disorder)
- One of the good ways to waste resources of any government is going after the
authors of fake news and con-artists out to exploit people’s fear of the
COVID-19. Nonetheless, such crime has in some degree effectively interfered
with the focused attention needed towards the basic delivery of services and
disease containment efforts. Just recently, came the arrest of a female suspect
cashing in thru fake and adulterated Quarantine Passes. This on top of the
arrest of another suspect who went house to house seeking for donations to
fight COVID-19 and pretended to be a representative of a legitimate
entity.
In some cases, fake news instigators thru various online social media platforms seemed to be on a race in releasing false information about infected persons to include death tolls in fearful numbers. Arrests were made by local police forces who are empowered to enforce provisions under the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Events of Public Health Concern Act, the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the Data Privacy Act of 2012, and the Cyber Crime Prevention Act of 2012. The most common engines observed are Facebook and Tweeter.
The “TRAPO” Traditional Politics, (Old Habits Simply Hard to Break) – the
Department of Interiors and Local Government (DILG) has received numerous complaints
by communities over alleged selective distribution of relief goods and cash
aids. This despite repetitive warnings directed to the Local Government Units (LGU)
and local officials by the department. This happened in spite of the newly
signed Republic Act 11469, also known as the “Bayanihan to Heal As One Act” which
provides penalties to LGU officials who disobey or violate national government
policies and directives during this period of national health emergency.
At the height of this pandemic, a Barangay Chairman in Lanao Del Sur
was arrested on for selling Quarantine Passes to his constituents and was charged,
along with other violations, including robbery extortion charges. Some LGUs
also failed in implementing “Social Distancing Policies” as observed during
distribution of relief goods and Quarantine Passes. This would rise an
apathetic community on the anticipated cash aid distribution under the
“Bayanihan to Heal as One Act”.
Hoarding of Essential Products (The Greed in Human Nature) – Greed in
human nature seemed prevalent specially during crisis that aggravates difficult
conditions of communities. At the time when people need basic food and health
care products, the stigma of doubling business profits in crisis situation
becomes the immediate priority of small and large business establishments and
even private individuals taking the opportunity to earn at the expense of
people’s fear on COVID-19. The immediate surge of hoarders has raised a
multitude of complaints from common citizens that pushed government to form
“Tracker Teams” in order to monitor, apprehend and prosecute hoarders. Briefly
thereafter, warrants to seize and apprehend were carried out resulting to an
effective intervention to curtail this practice. A challenge however was those
conducting the trade online and meet ups. Under Philippine laws, hoarding
during crisis is clearly elaborated in RA 7581 or an “Act providing protection
to consumers by stabilizing the prices of basic necessities and prime
commodities and by prescribing measures against undue price increases during
emergency situations and like occasions”. Sad but true, such practice is still
being carried in smaller communities in various means and ways.
Drugs and Drug Groups (Evolving Modus Operandi and Continuity) – In the
global environment, criminality to include illegal drug distribution are
expected to drop down in fear of COVID-19 where people are on quarantine and
business operations are ceased. The disease has somehow interrupted the law of
supply and demand where market sources are imperiled. In UK, drug related
crimes in some states had dropped down to 20% as police chief are pre-occupied
in battling the spate of opportunistic crimes as the outbreak is on its peak.
Domestically speaking, the National Capital Region (NCR) noted an 80% decline
of crime rate when the ECQ was enforced.
Contrary to the above however, this is not all well the case. Anti-illegal
drug operations continued in some regions of the country. For instance, Region
7 law enforcement agencies apprehended and timely dismantled the illegal drug
dens of the Dante Diocson Salinda Group in Cebu City. Clearly, the fear of
COVID-19 was no impediment as also gleaned from the P7.5 million drug bust
jointly done by PDEA-CCPO that neutralized Circujano and Capangpangan drug
network at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. Two major operations followed
suit that netted P7 million in Cordova, Province of Cebu and P1.56 million from
separate targets in Cebu and Mandaue Cities respectively on the same month.
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