Zamora wants ‘total overhaul’ of Greenhills security system after hostage-taking

SAN JUAN CITY, Metro Manila, Philippines — San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora will demand from top mall officials of Greenhills a “total overhaul” of their security system when he meets with them on Tuesday.

Zamora said on Tuesday that he would want the mall officials to change the security agency from which they outsource their security personnel in light of the hostage-taking that transpired on Monday.

Alchie Palay, a former security guard of a mall in Greenhills, took hostage about 50 individuals so that he could air out alleged unequal treatment and unjust labor practices done by his former employers.

“Ayokong mangyari uli ito sa San Juan. ‘Yung pinagmulan nito is a problem within the employee and the agency. Hindi natin masasabi ngayon na kung yung nangyari kay Alchie Paray ay nangyari din sa ibang mga gwardiya nila,” Zamora told reporters in a press conference.

[I don’t want this to happen again in San Juan. The root cause of the problem is between the employee and the agency and we cannot say that the woes of Alchie Paray are not being experienced by other security guards.]

“Ayaw na nating hintayin na mangyari pa muli. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with demanding now with Ortigas Shopping Center to change immediately their security agency,” he added.

[We don’t want this to happen again. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with demanding now with Ortigas Shopping Center to change immediately their security agency.]

Zamora revealed that Paray had initially planned a “coup d’etat” with his fellow security guards. Fortunately, none of them joined him.

He also questioned the capability of the security agency, SASCOR Amor Security Corp., under whose watch an individual was able to bring in a firearm and a grenade inside the mall.

“Are you still going to keep that kind of agency? So I will meet with them [mall officials] and discuss security matters with them,” Zamora said.

When Paray faced the media on Monday night after releasing the hostages, he claimed that security guards in the mall were being fired without any explanation or investigation.

He also alleged that his superiors were taking bribes to “protect” the mall tenants.

“Marami ritong kagaguhan na hindi nabibigyan ng pansin kaya ko naisipan ito na mag-hostage kasi itong sitwasyon na ito, December pa ito,” Paray said.

[There are many shenanigans that have not been noticed. That’s why I thought of taking people hostage. This situation has been going on since December.]

“Dumating sa punto na kailangan na nila maglaglag ng gwardiya na nagtatrabaho para lang protektahan ‘yung mga tenant nila,” he added.

[It came to the point that they had to lay off working guards just to protect their tenants.]

“Hopefully, sana maging aral ito, hindi lang sa establishment na ito pero kahit saan na may nagtatrabaho, lahat tayo diyan ay importante,” he went on. “Sa lahat ng management, magrespetuhan tayo. Huwag tayo mismo ‘yung hahamak sa mga kasama natin.”

[Hopefully, this would serve as a lesson, not only for this establishment but anywhere where there are people working. We are all important. To all management, let’s respect each other. Let’s not put down our own colleagues.]

READ: How the Greenhills hostage-taking unfolded

/atm