Safe pa rin ba sa Makati?
Makati landed at 9th place in the 2026 World Travel Index ranking of the Philippines’ safest cities (https://theworldtravelindex.com/en/asia/philippines/cities/safety). Good that we still made the Top 10. But honestly, for a city with Makati’s resources, reputation, and capabilities, bakit tayo makukuntento sa 9th place?
This is Makati. Dati tayong benchmark. We were once ranked the 2nd safest city in the Philippines and 4th safest in Southeast Asia (https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/09/03/1948520/makati-seas-4th-safest-city). Ngayon, top 9 na lang sa buong bansa. Should we celebrate na bumababa ang ranking natin?
Mas mataas dapat ang standards ng Makati dahil business capital ito ng bansa. Libo-libong manggagawa, negosyante, turista, at foreign nationals ang nasa lungsod araw-araw. Obviously, tatargetin ng mga kawatan ang Makati. Kaya dapat mas proactive, mas visible, at mas aggressive ang peace and order measures dito.
Oo, walang lungsod na crime-free. Pero hindi rin pwedeng sabihin na walang magagawa ang City Hall, lalo na sa isang mayamang lungsod gaya ng Makati. May direct control ang LGU sa enforcement, police visibility, CCTV maintenance, street lighting, traffic management, at overall peace and order strategy. Kaya kapag maraming sirang CCTV, madidilim na kalsada, kulang na patrols, at dumaraming crime incidents, governance issue na yan. San ba napupunta ang budget kung pati basic safety and security measures hindi maramdaman?
Hindi sapat na maganda lang tingnan online ang rankings. Ang tunay na sukatan ng safety ay kung kampante pa bang maglakad ang mga tao kahit gabi, kung ligtas bang umuwi ang commuters, at kung ramdam ba talaga ng Makatizens ang presence ng peace and order sa araw-araw.
Kapag pababa ang standards ng lungsod, hindi pwedeng invisible ang leadership. Mayor Nancy should be held accountable. Public safety is part of her job. If Makati is declining under her watch, we have every right to ask why.