Navotas boosts security measures near schools

Local officials of Navotas City have intensified the implementation of security measures around schools in the city to prevent a repeat of the hostage-taking of an administrative officer that lasted for almost five hours last week.

Supt. Ferdinand del Rosario, Northern Police District public information officer, told the

Inquirer that “stricter routine patrols” near school campuses were ordered by Chief Supt. Antonio Decano, NPD district director.

“Although policemen were already making their rounds in these places through Oplan Balik Paaralan, after the incident, we thought we should be even more stringent so that (the hostage-taking) will not happen again,” he said.

According to him, policemen have been advised to patrol areas near educational institutions even during class hours, unlike before, when they would frequent these areas only before and after classes.

He added that Decano had instructed police community precinct commanders to coordinate with barangay “force multipliers” for better visibility.

“We have tapped the (Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team) for this,” Del Rosario explained, referring to the group of civilian volunteers who help ensure peace and security at the local level.

For her part, Jayne Banayad, the city’s chief public information officer, told the Inquirer that Mayor John Rey Tiangco had also issued a reminder to principals to ensure that the “No ID, No Entry” policy is strictly implemented in their respective schools.

“(He also said) that those who enter should be searched, and should be made to sign in logbooks,” she said.

On Wednesday, classes at the Navotas Polytechnic College in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South were suspended after Esmeraldo Yarcia III, a former student, held at knifepoint Amy Perez (not the actress) inside the administration office on the building’s second floor.

Yarcia later surrendered to local authorities.

Although Perez decided not to file charges, the local police filed a case of grave threats, serious illegal detention, and alarm and scandal against Yarcia at the city prosecutor’s office on Thursday.

In a related development, Decano, a member of the crisis committee that negotiated Perez’s release, admitted that there were lapses during the negotiations, but said these were “corrected” even before the hostage-taking was peacefully resolved.

The police official made the comment on Thursday following reports that Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo had criticized the officials’ handling of the crisis.