If Police Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno remain true to their word, real peace can happen in the smallest barangays of Metro Manila.
Since January, Metro policemen have arrested 54,223 persons for drinking in public and 63,844 others for going out without a shirt.
Eleazar says their intention is to get rid of street bullies — usually drunk — who prey on passersby in their communities.
In Manila, Mayor Isko Moreno directed the Manila Police District (MPD) to go after wanted individuals hiding in the city. He gave the order to the MPD chief, Police Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., who caught two people including a suspected rapist after two days. Moreno is promising a P50,000 reward for every wanted person who is captured.
In an interview on my radio program, Moreno recalled his mother telling him to avoid wanted persons while he was growing up in Tondo.
“Let us not allow wanted persons to move freely in Manila. They are a big insult to our laws and courts,” he said.
Moreno advised these wanted persons to get out of his city or surrender at once, because he would imprison them.
Since time immemorial, Metro Manila barangays have their own versions of “siga-siga” or bullies who terrorize peace-loving residents. Let us hope the NCRPO and Manila City Hall succeed in making our communities safer. All citizens, however, should do their part by reporting and helping identify these street bullies, wanted persons and drunks.
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The improved traffic in the city-managed Liwasang Bonifacio (Plaza Lawton) is another test of political will in Manila. It is an open secret that there is an “untouchable” illegal terminal for provincial buses and UV Express vans from Southern Luzon which is protected by corrupt cops, barangay leaders and city hall officials. In exchange for entry into Manila and using Plaza Lawton as terminal, there is an offer of a daily payola of P160,000 or over P58 million a year.
But Mayor Isko immediately ordered the terminal’s outright dismantling. He also initiated its closure in 2013 in his capacity as Manila’s traffic czar, but a few months into Erap’s second term, it resumed operations.
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Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte told this columnist that by December this year, her city’s cash position would only be P1.6 billion, not P26.6 billion as earlier reported.
“There is only P19.9 billion in the general fund, but we have to pay all of our obligations amounting to P14.3 billion consisting of maintenance and operating expenses, the past administration’s infrastructure projects and others,” she said.
The remaining P5.6 billion and the expected revenue target of P6.4 billion or P12 billion will cover the expenses for the remaining six months at P10.4 billion.
She laments that for the 3.1 million people in the city, she can allot only P516 per resident until December.
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Tune in to the “Banner Story” radio-TV show, Monday-Friday, 6-9 a.m., on dzIQ (990AM), ABS-CBN TV Plus Channel 30. E-mail jakejm2005@yahoo.com for comments.