Roxas says peaceful Davao City is a myth

Administration standard bearer Mar Roxas on Friday described as "myth" the claim of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte that Davao City is one of the safest place in the country.

Citing data from the Philippine National Police, Roxas, a former Interior and Local Government secretary, said some 18,000 crime incidents were recorded in Davao City in 2014.

“So myth, kathang isip, imagination lang 'yung payapa ang Davao City. Hindi ko sila dina-down, sinasabi ko lang kung ano ang istatistika,” he said during a presidential forum at the Ateneo De Manila University in Quezon City.

"Like all things in life, there is no magic wand, there is no abracadabra, eveything that is worth something important to us, kailangang pagtrabahuhan, pagsakripisyuhan, tutukan natin," he added.

Duterte is among Roxas' rivals in the 2016 presidential race.

Roxas said during his stint as head of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), he was able to bring down the number of crime incidents in Metro Manila from 918 per week to 300 per week.

“For those who are skeptical, this is blotter-based. We are regularly auditing this. That was accomplished not by magic wand but by changing the mindset of the [Philippine National Police],” he said.

He added that he applied modern management principles during his stint at the DILG.  —KBK, GMA News