Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon
MANILA, Philippines — Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon on Sunday said he is enforcing restrictions to check on the activities and tenants in Ayala Alabang Village, following a raid on Friday at a residence where gambling and other illegal activities were allegedly being conducted.
The tenants at the home on Guava Street where Task Force Against Illegal Drugs of the National Bureau of Investigation conducted a predawn raid are now being investigated for potential violations of Republic Act No. 10591 (the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) as well as laws related to gambling and immigration.
According to a statement by the NBI, the tenants were also paying an exorbitant monthly rental of P600,000 and had no valid lease registered with the Ayala Alabang Village Association.
Minding their own business
In a text message, Biazon said illegal activities have become a recurring problem in the upscale village.
He had said in a separate interview that residents had already complained about tenants conducting gambling and other illegal operations.
Speaking in Filipino, the mayor explained that the exclusivity of a residential enclave like Ayala Alabang Village allows tenants more privacy in their activities.
Most residents, he added, tend to mind their own business and don’t really talk to their neighbors.
City ordinance
Biazon said he had approved a city ordinance just this month obliging landlords to check on the identities and activities of their tenants.
He said these property owners will now be required to issue certifications on the tenants and activities in their properties.
“With that, if there comes a raid, they would also be held accountable,” the mayor said.
The ordinance would also involve the mandatory registration of foreign nationals renting properties and residing in the village. “We have to know [their identities] because, based on their track record, it is mostly foreign nationals who are involved,” Biazon said.