Romulo urges universities, colleges to set up crime prevention units in campuses

By Office of Cong. Roman T. Romulo
January 20, 2016

QUEZON CITY – Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo today called on university authorities to set up dedicated units that will address the safety and security of students in campuses throughout the country.

"Security and safety issues, by their very nature, are urgent concerns that should be quickly addressed by university authorities with the assistance of the police," he said.

"If there is unease in campuses because of crime or threats of violence, these will disrupt the academic life of students and teachers," said Romulo, who chairs the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.

He cited the recent case of an 18-year old UP Diliman freshman who was supposed to pay his tuition but went missing last week.

Romulo lauded UP authorities for quickly acting on the report filed by parents of the missing student but pointed out the need to prevent such incidents from happening.

"We need to be proactive, to come up with measures that will discourage criminal elements from victimizing students and other members of the academic community in campus and in the areas around these institutions of learning," he said.

Romulo is the principal sponsor of House Bill 3898, the Campus Safety and Security Act, which is now on third reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill requires all public and private Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to create a crime prevention committee to "promote the safety and security of all students, from external and internal threats, such as theft, robbery, rape and other forms of violence."