NCRPO aims for zero indiscriminate firing incidents

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is pushing for zero incidents of indiscriminate firing among police officers during the coming New Year revelry, an official said yesterday.

NCRPO chief inspects LRT, MRT

By Non Alquitran and Mike Frialde
(The Philippine Star) Updated December 29, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - To prevent the spillover of the Sulu violence in Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Nicanor Bartolome inspected yesterday the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) platforms and stations to ensure the safety of the riding public.

The inspection was conducted two days before the 10th anniversary of the infamous Rizal Day bombing which left 22 people dead and scores of others injured.

Most of the casualties in the bombing blamed on Muslim rebels were commuters inside the LRT coach that stopped at the Blumentritt station. “I’m very satisfied with the security measures that the LRT and MRT authorities are implementing,” Bartolome said.

“Even with the big volume of commuters availing of our railway transit systems, our police patrollers and the security personnel are making sure that a repeat of the Dec. 30, 2000 attack will not happen… Never again,” Bartolome assured the commuters.

LRTA officials led by operations managers Ma. Teresa Llera and Wilfredo Bungcarol; chief security officer Jimmy Chua; joined Bartolome and his district directors in his security inspection.

In its first stop, the inspecting team meticulously scrutinized the security procedures being implemented by LRT personnel in Gateway, Cubao terminal of LRT Line 2. They then observed the security inspection in Farmers/Cubao MRT station before boarding the MRT coach heading south to Taft/Pasay Rotonda station. Police and LRTA officials assured the riding public of continued police services to endure their security during the holiday season.

Bartolome then inspected the LRT Line 1 stations along Taft Avenue, stopping at Central Terminal (Arroceros) and visited the exact location of the infamous Rizal Day bombing of 2000 in the LRT 1 Blumentritt station before proceeding to Grand Central station in Monumento, Caloocan City.

The last leg of the inspection was the new MRT line from Caloocan to Muñoz station in Quezon City.

NCRPO, LRTA, MRT assure public of security measures

By U.S. News Agency / Asian

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), together with the officials of Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT), on Tuesday assured the public of beefed up security measures in different stations of the mass transit system to ensure the safety of the riding public.

According to NCRPO Director Nicanor Bartolome, there will be no spill-over of the Christmas Day blast in Jolo, Sulu even as it ramped up security measures in places where people tend to congregate ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Rizal Day bombing at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) that left scores dead and wounded.

“There is no indication of any attack. We have not monitored any specific threat and we do not see any spill-over of the Jolo blast,” Bartolome said, referring to the explosion inside a church in the war-torn province that left 11 parishioners and the priest injured.

He said that was also the same assessment of the military’s National Capital Region Command (NCRCom), adding that there are enough policemen to thwart any terrorist or criminal elements out to sabotage the Holiday Season.

Bartolome was accompanied by LRT operations managers Ma. Teresa Llera and Wilfredo Bungcarol, chief security officer Jimmy Chua and the NCRPO’s District Directors Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele (Quezon City Police District); Chief Supt. Roberto Rongavilla of the Manila Police District and Chief Supt. Edgardo Ladao of the Northern Police District.

The inspecting team scrutinized the security procedures being implemented by LRT personnel in Gateway Cubao terminal of LRT Line 2 as well as the inspection of passengers in Farmers/Cubao MRT station before boarding the MRT coach heading south to Taft/Pasay Rotonda station.

They also proceeded to inspect the LRT Line 1 stations along Taft Avenue, stopping at Central Terminal (Arroceros) and visited the exact location of the infamous Rizal Day bombings of 2000 in the LRT-1 Blumentritt station before proceeding to Grand Central station in Monumento, Caloocan City.

The last leg of the inspection was the new MRT line from Caloocan to Munoz station in Quezon City.

“I’m very satisfied with the security measures that the LRT and MRT authorities are implementing”, a visibly pleased Bartolome told the media that accompanied his team.

“Even with the big volume of commuters availing of our railway transit systems, our police patrollers and the security personnel are making sure that a repeat of the December 30, 2000 attack will not happen…Never again”, the official added.

An average of 400,000 passengers ride the LRT on a daily basis.

The inspection was conducted two days before the 10th year of the Rizal Day bombings of 2000 wherein 22 people died and hundreds were injured. Most of the casualties were commuters inside the LRT coach that stopped at the Blumentritt station.

Despite of the absence of any threats, Bartolome said the entire 17,000-strong Metro Manila police force remains on heightened alert status up until the end of the year.

Security measures such as the deployment of additional foot and mobile patrols and bomb-sniffing dogs to malls, bus terminals, seaports, airports, the LRT and the MRT systems and other vital installations have been doubled since the start of the Holiday Season.

NCRPO aims for a zero firing incidents during New Year

By Non Alquitran (philstar.com)
Updated December 27, 2010 04:55 PM Comments (2) View comments

MANILA, Philippines – The National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) is pushing for a zero incidents of indiscriminate firing among policemen during the coming New Year revelry.

To help attain their goal, NCRPO chief Director Nicanor Bartolome started sealing the muzzle of handguns and long firearms issued to policemen in Metro Manila to prevent the weapons from being fired in the New Year celebration.

Using a masking tape, Bartolome sealed the muzzles of firearms of elements of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB), Regional Headquarters Support Group (RHSG) and Regional Police Intelligence and Operating Unit (RPIOU) during simple ceremonies at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

Bartolome’s five district directors also made rounds of police stations in their jurisdictions to do the same exercise with the weapons of their men.

“Gen. Bartolome wanted a zero incidents of indiscriminate firing in Metro Manila so he was busy making the rounds of police stations in the metropolis to see to it that the taping of muzzles of firearms of policemen are religiously being carried out,” said Senior Superintendent Dionardo Carlos, NCRPO spokesman.

The NCRPO recorded at least three incidents of indiscriminate firing involving policemen during the 2010 New Year revelry, Carlos said.

The NCRPO director would make rounds of the 16 cities and a municipality in Metro Manila today to inspect the designated firecrackers zones, which should be located in a secluded area to prevent firecracker blast casualties.

Earlier, Bartolome barred Metro policemen from playing with firecrackers to set an example among Metro Manilans not to use illegal firecrackers to welcome the New Year.

Carlos also urged the 12 million Metro Manilans to use legal firecrackers only to contribute to the DOH goal of lesser firecracker blast victims for the year 2011.


Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=643072&publicationSubCategoryId=200

Metro to get more cops for Christmas

By Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 11/29/2010 8:58 PM |
Updated as of 11/29/2010 8:58 PM

MANILA, Philippines - More than 1,000 police officers will be fielded in the whole of Metro Manila starting December 1 to augment existing police forces that will patrol the streets for the Yuletide season.

Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, regional director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCPRO), told ABS-CBN News in a telephone interview that he has ordered police officers assigned to desk jobs to go out on the streets for patrol as an added measure to help curb criminality.

"This is to augment personnel who are conducting patrol duties, we need more warm bodies," he said.

He said every year, they are expecting crimes like theft and robbery to rise during the Christmas season.

Aside from the 14,400 police officers in the National Capital Region (NCR) who man the streets regularly, 800 more police desk personnel will be deployed from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and another 800 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

These are considered to be peak hours of transaction when most people are out on the streets.

Bartolome said there is no need to train police desk personnel in patrolling the streets since they have been trained to do so since they entered the force.

He added that the concentration of deployment will be in areas where people usually converge like malls, bus terminals, seaport, public markets, and areas set up for the Christmas season like bazaar, tiangges, and others.

Random checkpoints will also be established especially at night to guard against carjackers and criminals riding in tandem in a motorcycle.

On Monday night, an ABS-CBN news team saw police officers constantly on patrol in night markets in Mandaluyong, malls in Pasig and San Juan, and bus terminals along EDSA.

Some police officers are on foot patrol manning the entrances, exits, and perimeters of a mall in Pasig, while a police mobile was roving around a popular night market in Mandaluyong and a busy mall in San Juan.

Crime rate not soaring

Bartolome, however, clarified that the new strategy of deploying desk personnel is not an indication of crime increasing in the NCR.

He said police statistics show that there has not been any crime resurgence for the past 10 months.

He revealed that the crime rate in Metro Manila went down by as much as 27% as compared to the first ten months of last year.

"Wala namang tumataas, we just want to reduce the incidence of crime," Bartolome said.

The Eastern Police District (EPD), meanwhile, has also activated 6 more intelligence teams.

Their main task is to curb crimes related to robbery of banks and establishments, carjacking, and kidnapping.

Senior Supt. Alfredo Masculino Calama-an, EPD deputy head for planning and operations said each team, called the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG), will be composed of 8 police officers whose training has been focused on police intelligence and operations.

Each police station covered by EPD such as Mandaluyong, San Juan, Marikina, and Pasig will get the services of the SOTG during the Yuletide season. Two more units were assigned to the EPD headquarters.

Carjacking cases up

Calama-an admitted there has been an increase in the incidence of car theft and carjacking cases in their district, particularly incidents involving the "Bundol Gang."

The situation had prompted Sen. Manny Villar to file a resolution urging the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs, to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation, on the rise of car thefts in the metropolis.

The move seeks to intensify public campaigns on drivers' safety and stamp out notorious car theft groups operating in the country.

Senate Resolution No. 284 indicated that the daily record on car theft activities in the NCR for the last 3 quarters of this year shows a daily average of 2 to 4 incidents.

The stolen vehicles are often used to commit more serious crimes like kidnapping, robbery, murder, and other related activities, according to Villar.

The resolution added that the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) recorded a total of 1,032 cars and vans stolen nationwide in 2009.

The PNP-HPG also reported that from July to September this year, a total of 58 vehicles were stolen in Quezon City, 48 vehicles in Manila, and 24 in Mandaluyong City.

Toyota Fortuner, Nissan Urvan and Isuzu Crosswind units ranked as the top 3 most-stolen vehicles.

The resolution also stated that Metro Manila, Region 3 (Central Luzon), and Region 4A (Calabarzon) are the top 3 areas where car theft is rampant in the Philippines. The top 3 cities in Metro Manila where car thieves often strike are Quezon City, Manila, and Makati.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/11/29/10/metro-get-more-cops-christmas

NCRPO chief: Metro Manila ‘relatively safe’ from terrorists

Posted on 07 Nov 2010 at 3:43pm

Anthony Vargas

MANILA, Philippines – Metro Manila is “relatively safe” from terror attacks notwithstanding the travel advisories issued by at least six countries last week, the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said Sunday.

Nevertheless, Chief Superintendent Nicano Bartolome said “these (travel advisories) will also help us be more effective in our efforts to quickly respond to any crisis and prevent any terrorist incident in Metro Manila.”

The administration has reacted vehemently to the travel advisories issued by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, with President Benigno Aquino III vowing to “express our displeasure that there is no adequate basis” to the warnings. His defense secretary, Voltaire Gazmin, also brushed off the advisories.

But a former police intelligence chief, retired general Rodolfo Mendoza Jr., said the advisories “should not be disregarded” since the countries that issued them “have the capacity to collate information and they have the capacity to analyze information.”

The advisories were issued soon after the foiling of a plot to attack the US with bombs sent through cargo forwarders.

While more receptive to the advisories, Bartolome also assured that the 17,000-strong NCRPO is capable of keeping Metro Manila safe, terror threat or not.

With the Christmas season coming up, the NCRPO has beefed up its forces with personnel from the Regional Public Safety Battalion, deploying them to tourist spots and key economic areas in the metropolis since last month.

“They (augmentation forces) were deployed as early as mid-October in anticipation of more people visiting Metro Manila during the holiday season,” Bartolome said.

Metro Manila’s five police districts have also set up Police Assistance Desks (PADs) at transport terminals, commercial centers and malls.

Metro Manila is not new to terror attacks. On December 30, 2000, the Light Rail Transit was bombed, killing 26 and injuring dozens more. The Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) has been blamed for the incident.

On February 14, 2005, members of the Abu Sayyaf, Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) and JI set off near simultaneous explosions in Makati, General Santos and Davao Cities, killing at least eight people and wounding scores of others.

A year before this, the Abu Sayyaf set off a bomb on the Superferry 14 in Manila Bay, sinking the vessel and killing more than 100 persons, the deadliest terrorist attack at sea.