Metro Briefs: Feb. 21, 2019
Two policemen are in hot water for drinking liquor in a public place in Quezon City.
The Philippine National Police announced on Tuesday that administrative charges would be filed against SPO1 Franklin Francisco Nariz of the PNP Maritime Group and PO3 Tristan Bardon Callao of the Camp Crame Headquarters Support Services.
The two were drinking in a canteen on Justice Lourdes Paredes San Diego Avenue at Barangay Socorro on Monday night when they were caught by members of the PNP Counter-Intelligence Task Force.
“We assure the public that we will continue to pursue our campaign on internal cleansing and we will not hesitate to dismiss personnel from the service to rid our ranks of misfits and scalawags,” PNP spokesperson, Senior Supt. Bernard Banac, said in a statement. —Jaymee T. Gamil
Valenzuela City opens ‘greenest project’ to public
The Valenzuela City government opened on Sunday its “greenest project to date,” an 11,000-sqm park at Barangay Karuhatan.
Apart from dozens of century-old trees that the city government decided to preserve for a nature-centered open space, the Valenzuela City Family Park has a playground, interactive fountain, aviary, fitness machines, food park, restrooms and an amphitheater.
Open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, it is pet-friendly, bike-friendly and 100 percent accessible to persons with disabilities. “Parks like the Family Park are truly magical places. It gives one that sense of peace and calm that malls cannot provide,” said Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian. —Mariejo S. Ramos
BOC orders decongestion of Manila port
To ease congestion at the ports of Manila, the Bureau of Customs has ordered the transfer of empty containers to the Batangas and Subic ports.
In a Feb. 18 memorandum, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero directed the port/district collectors at Manila International Container Port and the ports of Batangas, Manila and Subic to implement Executive Order No. 172 which declared the Port of Batangas and Subic Bay Freeport as the Port of Manila’s extensions when it gets congested and during emergency situations.
Given the congestion at Manila International Container Terminal and South Harbor, Guerrero said all empty containers must be moved to the terminals of Asian Terminals Inc. in Batangas and International Container Terminal Services Inc. in Subic. —Ben O. de Vera
