PNP opens assistance desk for Koreans in PH

STA. ROSA CITY—The Philippine National Police established a mall assistance desk for Koreans, a gesture that police officials said signified their intention to restore the confidence of foreigners in local law enforcement.

K-Pad, or Korean Police Assistance Desk, is nothing different from the desks the PNP had put up in shopping malls in the country, except that it would serve Koreans.

Supt. Joel Estaris, city police chief, likened the desk to “special lanes” in banks or offices, only that it would handle crime reports and requests for assistance.

Korean population

Estaris said K-Pad, opened at Ayala Mall here last week, was the first of its kind in the country.

“Why Koreans? Because there are lot of them living in the area,” Estaris said.

Around 3,000 Koreans are staying in this city alone and about 10,000 living in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region.

According to the United Korean Community Association in the Philippines, more than 90,000 Koreans, among them businessmen and exchange students, live in the country.

K-Pad is an initiative of the city police, the city government and the Korean community in the Philippines.

While most Korean-owned establishments like resorts are located in the adjacent Calamba City or in Tagaytay City in Cavite, Koreans frequent the shopping and dining hubs in this city, said Aries Zapanta, city information officer.

Sta. Rosa City, with a population of 353,767, is a booming industrial and residential estate outside of Metro Manila.

Kang Chang-ik, president of the Korean community in the Philippines, welcomed the establishment of K-Pad, saying it would make them and foreign investors feel safer.

Kang, who has been living in the Philippines for 36 years, said K-Pad would also speed up police response to road accidents involving Koreans. —MARICAR CINCO