EDITORIAL - A common problem

The death of a female disc jockey at the hands of a habal-habal driver who broke into her apartment in what authorities believe was a robbery case has raised concerns about the safety of motorcycle-for-hire passengers, especially those who live in the upland barangays.

Maxi Bolongaita, the former Miss Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and daughter of veteran broadcaster Alex Bolongaita, fought for her life when allegedly attacked by Reynante Mambiar who barged into her apartment to steal her belongings.

As a habal-habal driver, Mambiar may have already encountered Bolongaita several times. The suspect's intention to commit the crime -which he confessed to the police during questioning- may have stemmed from the fact that he could have personally known her, including her daily routine.

In fact, the Bolongaita incident is not the only criminal activity that Mambiar was allegedly involved in. Police investigators said the suspect had previous robbery cases in barangays Lahug and Busay and called for other victims to come forward.

But as to why Mambiar remained free despite being involved in several robbery incidents in the past, as police had claimed, remains a mystery. It may have something to do with the way the wheels of the country's justice are turning.

Had he been convicted of his past crimes and remained in detention, Mambiar could never have the opportunity to break into Bolongaita's apartment and inflict harm on the victim. Bolongaita, a young woman full of life, would have been alive today.

One main reason why Mambiar's previous cases have not prospered in court -that would have resulted in his conviction- was that the complainants may already have lost interest in pursuing their complaints.

The police may have also been remiss in their job of gathering enough evidence in order for those cases to progress. Well, this seeming negligence on the part of the investigators has already been a common problem besetting our justice system.