Police to identify administrative liabilities of SM

MANILA, Philippines—Police Senior Insp. Buenaventura Viray Jr. of the Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA), a licensing office that issues permit to security agencies and individual security personnel, said that investigations are still ongoing on possible administrative liabilities that SM Malls may face regarding the two recent separate shooting incidents inside its premises.

Viray said the first offense is a P50-thousand fine and the second is the revocation of license.

Although Viray sees indication of lapses in the mall’s security procedure during the particular shooting incidents, he said, “hindi tayo basta- basta nagju-judge, may due process tayo [we don’t just judge, we have a due process].”

Viray said the investigations shall determine if indeed the pistol was not detected by the mall’s metal detector, or if the boy with the .22-caliber pistol made an entrance not intended for customer entry.

He added there are plans to invite security managers of more than 2000 different agencies nationwide over the SOSIA building in Camp Crame on Thursday to remind them of the security measures that they have to improve.

Initial random inspection is not SOSIA’s responsibility.

While SOSIA issues the licence to operate, random inspections regarding consistent compliance of security staffs to an establishments security plan is the job of the territorial forces, Viray said.

“They [territorial forces] will determine violations at sila ang magre-recommend sa amin then magsasagawa kami ng separate investigation [the territorial forces will determine the violations and will give us recommendations for us to work on a separate investigation],” Viray said.

The SM Supermalls’ two branches, SM City North in Quezon City and SM Pampanga, were the site of two recent shooting incidents that police ruled out as both related to crime of passion.