Rape cases dip by 30%

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—Recorded rape cases in Bohol dipped by 30 percent, from 89 cases in 2025 to 63 cases as of September 15.

Camp Dagohoy deputy director for operations Police Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Berondo reported this during the recent joint meetings of the Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti Drug Abuse Council.

In his report, LtCol Berondo bared that in 2025, form January 1 to September 15, Bohol recorded 89 rape cases; 36 of which were cleared and 63 were solved cases.

In the same period of 2026, the Camp Dagohoy operations chief said of the 63 total number of cases for the 9 months of the year, 35 have already been cleared while 26 were solved cases.

Police investigators then posted a 55% crime clearance efficiency in 2026 and a 41.2 percent crime solution efficiency, with three months before the year ends.

In 2025, the Bohol Provincial Police Office nailed a 40.44 percent crime clearance efficiency, and a 59 percent crime solution efficiency.

By crime clearance efficiency, it means that the police investigators have already an identified perpetrator on file, but have continued to gather more evidence before the accused could be issued an arrest warrant.

On the other hand, a crime solution efficiency happens when the police investigators have identified the suspects, issued arrest warrants and had the appropriate case filed in court.

Despite the encouraging numbers, police authorities believe that the recent surge of rape cases has something to do with the government’s open and aggressive campaign to encourage victims to report rape and other gender related violence.

In the Philippines, the “18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW)”, implemented nationwide by government agencies and partners, became an 18-day national campaign in 2006 through Presidential Proclamation No. 1172.

A major objective is to break the culture of silence, inform survivors about available services, and encourage them to seek help and report abuse.

With this, the Philippine National Police has specifically attributed increases in recorded rape cases in some periods to improved reporting systems and public-awareness campaigns, rather than necessarily to an increase in the actual incidence of rape.

The Bohol Provincial Police Office also expanded its VAWC information campaign into barangays and held community assemblies and dialogues.

Beyond that, the investigations have also improved, that these successes have motivated victims to seek justice for what happened to them.

More than this, Bohol Chiefs of Police and the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) and police noncommissioned officers was adjudged Best Group Investigators, during the recent 3-day Regionalized Women and Children Protection Summit. (PIAbohol)

GETTING BETTER AT SEEKING JUSTICE FOR WOMEN VICTIMS. Police women and children’s protection investigators from Bohol recently grabbed the Best Group Investigators during a Women and Children’s Protection Summit held in Cebu. Here, rape cases are reportedly on a decline. (PIAbohol/BPPO)

Cloud seeding now awaits

local “Notice to Proceed”

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)--After receiving an initial damage report of P125.7 million in crop damage due to El Nino, Boholanos are now awaiting for the local issuance of the notice to proceed, before the contractor can start bringing in the plane for the farmers to hopefully start the dry cropping.

Office of the Provincial Agriculturist supervising agriculturist Gertrudis Fuentes bared this update at the recent Kapihan sa PIA, Thursday.

The good thing is that, since the cloud seeding operations is by local procurement, the issuance of the notice to proceed need not go for approval outside Bohol, she confirmed.

It may be recalled that the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) has been allocated in its 2026 budget, some P5 million in preparation for climate-change mitigation initiatives, including cloud-seeding operations and agricultural support during dry spells.

This, according to Provincial Administrator Asteria Caberte, in reports is for 31 hours of cloud seeding operations, which the Provincial El Nino Task Force has tagged for emergency procurement procedures.

On the other hand, the OPA in Bohol also confirmed funds from the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Soils and Water Management, which is also equivalent to 29 hours of cloud seeding flights.

With initial reports of only 11 hectares of rice lands harvested by the end of August, the OPA said as much as 4,304 farmers from 13 towns have been initially reported as affected.

She also said the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Information System, which tracks the encoded data of crop damages from municipal encoders, has showed that in the 13 towns, a total of P125.7 million in crop damage has been reported.

Of this amount, 93 percent represent damages in rice crops during the May to July cropping.

Fuentes also said that corn accounts for the 3 percent in the P125.7 Million damage, while damaged high value commercial crops make up the remaining 3.68 percent.

For rainfall-enhancement cloud seeding, the OPA said the key point is the presence of suitable clouds with enough moisture and the right atmospheric structure.

The past months have been so hot that days were characterized as generally cloudless, that cloud seeding becomes futile since it cannot create a rain-producing cloud from clear sky.

The country’s sate weather bureau notes that cloud formation depends on moisture, temperature, pressure and air movement, factors that were totally absent over Bohol skies in the past months. (PIAbohol)

ANYTIME NOW. Bohol OPA supervising agriculturist Gertrudis Fuentes, at the Kapihan sa PIA bared that the proposed cloud seeding operations can happen anytime, with the notice to proceed coming within Bohol and not from outside authorities. (PIAbohol)