Drowning, fire incidents rise during 2026 Holy Week — PNP

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday reported an increase in drowning and fire incidents during the Holy Week, as many Filipinos went on vacation amid the long holiday break.

Data presented by the PNP at a press briefing showed that 59 drowning incidents were recorded from March 29 to April 5.

This was 136% higher than the 25 cases reported in the week prior to Holy Week, from March 21 to March 28.

Fire incidents also rose to 93 during Holy Week, up 21% from 77 cases recorded before the observance of Semana Santa, based on PNP data.

Despite these increases, the nationwide crime rate declined by 23%, with focus crimes dropping from 680 before Holy Week to 527 during the period.

Focus crimes refer to serious offenses that occur with notable frequency. These include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and carnapping of motor vehicles and motorcycles.

Breakdown of focus crimes during Holy Week:

• Theft – 181
• Physical injury – 95
• Murder – 77
• Robbery – 63
• Rape – 60
• Carnapping of motorcycles – 27
• Homicide – 21
• Carnapping of other vehicles – 3

—MCG, GMA News