Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.
The Makati City police have apparently begun establishing their presence in barangays in Fort Bonifacio which a recent Court of Appeals ruling handed back to Makati after a 20-year territorial dispute with Taguig City.
This was despite the Taguig officials’ insistence that the July 30 CA ruling was not yet final and executory and that the status quo remained in effect.
On Tuesday afternoon, members of the Makati police and of the Makati Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Madac) launched a raid in Barangay Southside, acting on reports of illegal gambling and drug peddling in the village.
The operation led to the arrest of 12 people.
Barangay Southside is one of two “Inner Fort” barangays that have been under the jurisdiction of Taguig for the past 20 years since an injunction was issued by a Pasig City court against Makati in 1994.
In a report to Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., Madac operations chief Supt. Jaime Santos said the joint operation was carried out on the basis of a series of complaints from residents.
A team composed of Madac members, the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (SAID-SOTG), and Substation 10 of the Makati police stormed the neighborhood on Abbott and Hornet streets in Southside.
Seized from the 12 suspects were three hand grenades, three sachets of “shabu,” a sachet of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, bet money and the dice used by the gamblers.
The Makati police identified eight of the suspects as Southside residents Mark Rhodireck Baisac, 21; Alex Rico, 38; Rommel Valdez, 20; Anthony Lumagbas, 33; Ryan Sumatra, 18; Dennis Martinez, 36; Meljie Dayondon, 29; and John Paul Doong, 23.
The other four were identified as residents of Barangay Rizal: Jemmy Flores, 29; Harly Dipon, 36; Richard Macapas, 28; and Dario Hallera, 31.
The suspects were set for inquest Wednesday in the Makati prosecutor’s office.
In a statement, Binay—who last week announced plans to ensure a “smooth transition” of local government control over the areas covered by the CA ruling—ordered the Makati law enforcers to include the Inner Fort barangays in their campaign against crime.
“We commend our local law enforcers for immediately responding to the pleas of residents of Barangay Southside. For us in Makati, this successful operation signals the start of an intensive drive against illegal drugs and other criminal activities particularly in Southside and Northside, which is a priority of the city government,” the mayor said. Niña Calleja