1

Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE
Rationale of the Study
Crime causes loss of life and property as well as overwhelming
fear of safety and security (Alemika, 1997; and Cantor and Lynch,
2000). These have serious consequences for democracy, economic
development, social capital and in general the individuals social life.
Maasin City has witnessed upsurge in crimes during the last five
years1 Increasing incidence of robbery, burglary, theft, swindling and
murder has led to a rising fear which has in turn affected economic
and social life in the community. Maasin City being Southern Leytes
primal economic centre and the most populated city has recorded
higher level of crime incidence. As a result of the growing rates and
severity of criminality the police has introduced diverse crime control
measures, but without much success.
The senior citizens perceptions of safety and security in their
community is aggravated by numerous reports portrayed in the media
regarding criminality around the country which usually involve crime
1

As reported and recorded at the Maasin City Police Office Blotter from 2007 to 2011.

against properties and persons2. To effectively combat crime,

comprehensive socioeconomic development planning aimed at
effective and equitable social services delivery as well as effective
citizen political participation is necessary. But these cannot even be
achieved without reliable and valid data. In order to develop and
implement effective crime prevention and control programs as well as
effective administration of criminal justice and eradicate fear of safety
and security among its residents, there must be reliable and valid
information provided by the community residents themselves on their
perceptions safety and security in their Barangay, the measures they
adopted to protect themselves from criminals, Barangay government
measures implemented to prevent crimes and the extent of
information drive conducted on crime prevention and control.
This study is aimed at conducting a crime victimization survey
on sample senior citizen residents of Maasin City to obtain data on
the extent of criminal victimization and solicit the respondents
perceptions of safety and security in their community. Results of this
study will serve as valuable inputs towards developing capacity to

Reports from TV Stations e.g. GMA, TV 5, NBN-PTV4 and ABS-CBN.

address criminality through effective cooperation between the

residents, law enforcers and barangay government.

Objectives of the Study

This study aims to gather information on the perception of
victimization of the sample senior citizen residents of Maasin City.
This study specifically aims:
1. To establish a demographic profile of the respondents of the
study;
2. To determine the perception of safety and security of the
senior citizen residents of Maasin City and in their
neighborhood and at home;
3. To determine what kind of safety and security measures the
household have practiced to protect themselves from crime
victimization;
4. To determine what kind of measures the community have
implemented in terms of crime prevention;
5. To determine what are the information campaign or
seminars conducted by the local government to educate the
public about crime and crime prevention.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

This study will look into the perceptions of senior citizens on
victimization in the community in Maasin City, Specifically, it will
answer the following questions:
1. What the demographic profile of respondents in terms of:
1.1

Age;

1.2

Sex;

1.3

Highest Educational Attainment;

1.4

Family Income?

2. What is the respondents perceptions in terms of;

2.1

Safety in their Barangay;

2.2

Security in their Barangay;

2.3

Vulnerability to criminality?

3. What are their safety measures implemented in their

household?
4. What are the different programs and projects of their Barangay
to prevent criminality?
Significance of the Study
The following will benefit from the results of this study:

For law enforcers, results of this study will serve as inputs in

their plans and strategies on how to effectively conduct their
community relations activities and implement their crime prevention
and resolution programs.
The Barangay government will also benefit from the results of
this study because the data acquired can serve as basis in the
formulation of barangay ordinances addressing crime prevention and
control.
For the residents, the results of this study will serve as eyeopener on their vulnerabilities and the required preparations on
themselves and their household to deter crime.
For the members of the academe, inputs from this study will
serve as basis for the conduct or further studies on crime
victimization and safety and security in the community.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
Primary data were used in this study. Primary data will be
collected from 100 sample households in Maasin City Census of
Population. The reporting unit is the household, which means that the
statistics emanating from this study will refer to the characteristics of

the population residing in private households. Persons living in

institutions are not within the scope of the study.

References
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