Yes, who does not want the serenity of a gated community and the security that comes with living in such a neighborhood isolated from the outside world, with its tidy rows of well-kept lawns and picket fences protecting the dreams within?
But a magician’s hat can just be as deceptive as appearances, like the production of a rabbit seemingly from thin air. Just ask the people who live in an upscale neighborhood in a city neighboring the Villars’ turf, Las Piñas.
A collective gasp recently emanated from its residents as they were forced to confront the harsh reality of their amiable community starting to crumble, of their haven seemingly being overtaken by a long procession of undesirables skillfully hiding in plain sight.
One particular house in the enclave of the perfumed set, said to be predominantly painted red (hmmm, what a choice of color), had been at the center of activities of rowdy and loud Chinese nationals who, residents surmised, may belong to the group of their compatriots recently arrested.
They were referring to the recent burst of activity by the Philippine National Police, during which elements of its Anti-Cybercrime Group raided a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator or POGO facility in Las Piñas City.
Here, we couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of those (illegal?) POGO workers, supposedly the very masters of the virtual world, being implicated and charged with allegedly running a network of human trafficking and money laundering, being caught with their digital underwear down.
Kudos to the PNP-ACG, even if Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla took issue with the group for purportedly failing to coordinate their actions with government prosecutors, something which the cops denied, with the best civility they could muster as they were talking to Remulla.
The Chinese nationals who were detained were doubtless wondering how their cyber-castle fell apart so spectacularly. It’s a classic case of wolves in sheep’s clothing being stripped of the wool covering them.
But there’s no passing judgment as of yet. While some applaud this crackdown as a triumphant illustration of quick justice, others may wag their fingers at the seeming outrage that seemed out of proportion. After all, was such a bold use of force necessary to expel a den of criminals?
It’s a question that brings to mind the delicate balancing act that Philippine authorities have been trying to master: how to crush criminal underbellies without impeding businesses’ rightful objectives.
And in the case of posh subdivisions serving as the hideaways of criminals, cops cannot just barge in. The flip side of going after dubious characters in such places is that residents may object to their privacy being invaded by sleuths in their midst.
Watching the government walk the fine line between righteousness and rationality is definitely a narrative twist. One only needs to look at the Duterte government’s campaign against illegal drugs to see how difficult police work can be.
And perhaps it’s only fitting that we struggle with the fuzziness of the lines between crime and repression, digital delinquency, and moral vigilance in a world increasingly ruled by the ones and zeros of technology.
In the greater story of Philippine law enforcement’s tango with the shadows, this POGO raid is but one chapter. The government’s efforts to combat crime should not just be limited to the rough streets; they should also permeate communities that thought they had built barriers immune to such unrest.
It should be kept in mind that security isn’t just about walls and gates; it’s about the steadfast resolve of everyone to be vigilant to bring to light even the darkest corners of our neighborhoods, literally and figuratively.
Crimes hit the hardest when they stop being statistics of something bad happening to other people. Fighting criminality is the shared responsibility of all peace-loving people, whether in the slums or the enclaves of the haves.