Follow Us
-
Aug
26
Traffic Re-routing in Baclaran
Filed Under Paranaque | 2 Comments
To streamline the flow of traffic in Baclaran, the Parañaque City Government, through its Traffic Management Office, by virtue of the powers and prerogatives provided by City Ordinance No. 05-04 (56), Series of 2004, also known as the “Parañaque City Traffic Management Code”, will implement a rerouting scheme in the area effective Monday, August 30, 2010.
The confusion that is Baclaran
Known as one of the best centers for dry goods, droves of shoppers, traders, bargain hunters troop to Baclaran daily for best buys.
Added to this throng are hundreds of Catholics who visit the National Shrine of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help for their petitions.
The number is doubled and tripled on Wednesdays when novenas are scheduled at the Redemptorist Church.
Following Traffic Circular No. 01, Series of 2010, all Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJ) emanating from the south and whose endpoint, turnaround point or junction as indicated in their franchise issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is at Baclaran, shall take the following route: Northbound from Quirino Avenue, turn left at Redemptorist Road and take another left at Roxas Blvd. Service Road.
Turn left at Airport Road then make a right turn at the southbound lane of Quirino Avenue towards Tambo.
Private vehicles and taxis coming from the north headed towards the Redemptorist Church may make a U-turn at the intersection of Roxas Blvd. and Airport Road.
They can then make a right turn at Redemptorist Road and from that junction also at their option, make a left or right turn at the Roxas Blvd. Service Road.
This rerouting scheme will be on an experimental basis, subject to further review, modification and/or ratification by the Parañaque City Council.
Please feel free to communicate with the Parañaque Traffic Management Office through telephone 829-1458 for more information or any question on the rerouting scheme.
Aug
25
Tsk, tsk, tsk, we really think the brother, Gregorio Mendoza made things worse. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Click on the link to listen to the final conversation of Capt. Mendoza.
Aug
25
LP Mayor lauds PDEA and Las Pinas Police for successful drug bust
Filed Under Las Piñas | Leave a Comment
Las Pinas City Mayor Vergel ‘Nene” Aguilar today lauded the successful operation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency together with the support of elements from Las Piñas City Police Station and the local officials with the arrest of three chinese nationals engaged in illegal drug trade.
Aguilar said no untoward incident happened during the implementation of the Court Order and its termination.
The raid was made a day after a dismissed Manila police hostage about 22 Hong Kong nationals while in tour in Luneta, Manila which resulted into the death of eight person including the hostage-taker.
Arrested suspects during the actual implementation of the said Court Orders were Chinese Nationals Alex Sy Li, Jason Li Chua and Jinzhu Gou following a search warrant issued by Judge Amor A. Reyes of RTC Branch 21, NCR of alleged shabu laboratory located at 1B C. Raymund St., BF Resort Vill., Talon Dos, Las Piñas City.
Aguilar called on the local police to further strengthen visibility, surveillance and monitoring of suspected individuals engage in illegal drug trade.
He likewise urged subdivision owners to strictly screen occupants in their respective areas so as not to endanger the lives of other residents.
The local chief executive also urged barangay officials to closely coordinate with subdivision owners and the local police and to report any movement of individuals suspected of engaging in illegal drug activities.
“To protect the safety of our children and the community as well each and everyone should close monitor our surroundings of any bad elements,” Aguilar said. He ordered the local police to do the round the clock monitoring and surveillance to prevent similar incident in the city.
Aug
24
From BBC News:
A security analyst who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, Charles Shoebridge, says the officers involved in Manila’s bus siege showed great courage – but they were not properly trained or equipped for the task.
Here are 10 areas where, in his view, they could have done better.
1. Determination Click to play Click to play AdvertisementPhilippine police end Manila bus hijack The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. “They showed great courage to go on board. It’s very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it’s not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn’t seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through.”
2. Lack of equipment The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. “They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn’t know what to do next,” Mr Shoebridge says. “They almost looked like a group of vandals.” Their firearms were also inappropriate – some had pistols, some had assault rifles. Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.
3. Lost opportunity to disarm the gunman Mendoza’s gun was not always raised There were numerous opportunities to restrain the gunman, Mr Shoebridge believes. “The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side. He could have been disabled without having to kill him.”
4. Lost opportunity to shoot the gunman The video of the drama also shows there were occasions when the gunman was standing alone, during the course of the day, and could have been shot by a sharpshooter. “You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual. The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken,” Mr Shoebridge says. Either this possibility did not occur to the officers in charge, he adds, or they considered it and decided to carry on talking.
5. Satisfying the gunman’s demands “I wondered why the authorities just didn’t give in to all of his demands,” says Charles Shoebridge. “A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honour. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police – and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking.” The Philippines authorities did in fact give in to the gunman’s demands, but too little, too late. One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed. A second message reinstating him as a police offer only arrived after the shooting had started.
6. Televised proceedings The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him. This was a “crucial defect in the police handling”, Mr Shoebridge says. He adds that police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage taker in the dark.
7. No element of surprise It was clear to the gunman what the police were doing at all times, not only because the whole incident was televised, but also because they moved “laboriously slowly”, Mr Shoebridge says. The police did not distract him, so were unable to exploit the “crucial element of surprise”.
8. Safeguarding the public This boy, a bystander, was hit by a stray bullet At least one bystander was shot, possibly because the public was allowed too close. The bullet from an M16 rifle, as carried by the gunman, can travel for about a mile, so preventing any risk of injury would have been difficult, Mr Shoebridge says, but a lot more could have been done. “When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground,” he says.
9. Using the gunman’s brother to negotiate Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword, Mr Shoebridge says. While they may have leverage over the hostage taker, what they are saying cannot be easily controlled. In this case, the gunman’s brother was included in the negotiations – however, at a certain stage he became agitated and police started to remove him from the scene. The gunman saw this on television, and became agitated himself. According to one report he fired a warning shot.
10. Insufficient training In some parts of the Philippines, such as Mindanao, hostage taking is not an uncommon occurrence, so the country has some forces that are well trained in the necessary tactics. The detachment involved in Monday’s incident clearly was not, says Mr Shoebridge. After smashing the windows, one of the officers eventually put some CS gas inside, though “to what effect was not clear” he says. A unit involved in this work, needs to be “trained again and again, repeatedly practising precisely this kind of scenario,” he says.
Aug
23
Garage Sale in BF Resort! Aug. 27 to 29
Filed Under Events | Leave a Comment
