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Feb
20
From Philippines Today:
MUNTINLUPA CITY — Barangay (village) officials, homeowners association, residents and the city government of Muntinlupa have banded together to prevent the repeat of the incident at the posh Ayala Alabang Village were some houses were converted into illegal drugs laboratory.
Alabang Barangay Chairman Alfred Burgos told the Muntinlupa City Council Blue Ribbon and Public Order, Safety and Security Committees that they are doing everything to address the matter.
Burgos said the village is monitoring four areas of concern of the barangay for security purposes and coordinating with law enforcers.The street value of 10 kg of shabu is about P50 million, at P5,000 per gram.
“We are closely coordinating with the security personnel of the Ayala Alabang Village Association and the three non-government organizations namely Morito, Alabang Town Center and the Madrigal office complex and of course the police for the security of the residents in the area,” Burgos said.
Leonardo De Leon, president of AVA, said they are looking at the lease contracts of leased properties’ possible inclusion of visitation rights of the owner anytime they want.
“We will put it into the contract, and to give the security personnel of AVA the authority to check the premises of leased property if the need arises,” De Leon said.
Burgos said that under the lease agreement, one family is allowed to occupy one property but the situation changes so they have to address the matter and residents should also be part of the adjustments they are going to make.
Burgos also added that they are now establishing strong relations with the foreign embassies so they can prevent possible entry of persons with suspicious background.
“This is for prevention purposes and close coordination with embassies so we can get information to the people and of course the residents should also know their neighbors,” Burgos said.
Councilor Raul Corro said he will sponsor a proposed ordinance that will regulate the lease of commercial, industrial and residential properties within the city of Muntinlupa.
Agents of the PDEA raided a medium-scale drug laboratory on a sprawling property in the plush subdivision, confiscated drug equipment and paraphernalia, and arrested the suspects before dawn on January 6, 2012.
Based on their inspection of the facilities, PDEA agents said the entire production line could manufacture a minimum of 10 kilograms of shabu per cycle, although the scale of the production and the frequency of each cycle was still being investigated.
Jan
30
Muntinlupa eyes stricter leasing laws
Filed Under Muntinlupa, News | Leave a Comment
By Nathaniel R. Melican
From: inquirer.net
Owners of rented houses and other properties in Muntinlupa City, along with police and local government authorities, will soon be empowered to conduct periodic inspections on leased properties to ensure that their tenants are not involved in illegal activities.
Local legislators have proposed a city ordinance that would add restrictions to current laws on leasing after the discovery of three shabu laboratories inside the posh Ayala Alabang Village earlier this month.
City Councilor Raul Corro unveiled Wednesday the proposed ordinance that would compel property owners to conduct regular inspections on their rented properties, among others.
More comprehensive
The barangay (village) council of Ayala Alabang Village has proposed similar measures, but Corro said the city ordinance would be more comprehensive.
“This will not only cover Ayala Alabang Village, but the entire Muntinlupa,” Corro said when he presented the proposal in a city council inquiry into the circumstances behind the recent Ayala Alabang drug raids.
The ordinance specifically states that the property owner or representatives, along with officers of homeowners’ associations, should be “allowed to enter the leased premises on any day to check if the lessee is complying with the rules.”
The measure also prohibits subleasing the property to another party for another use without the consent of the owner.
Penalties
Violators will be fined not more than P5,000 or imprisoned for one year, which Corro said is the limitation set by the local government code on such violations.
Alfred Burgos, barangay chair of Ayala Alabang Village, welcomed the ordinance.
“This is a very good idea. We’ll see how we can impose it if it is enacted. The tighter lease measures and the visitation rights will only make our barangay more secure,” he said.
During the inquiry, Burgos and officers of Ayala Alabang Village Association were asked about specific tight measures they have been implementing in the wake of the raids involving illegal drugs.
Contract review
Leandro de Leon, president of Ayala Alabang Village Association, said they are currently reviewing the contracts of leased houses inside the village and installing more security cameras, especially on secondary roads.
Another policy the village is looking into is the issuance of a different colored sticker to cars of individuals who just rent houses inside the village to differentiate them from homeowners.
Meanwhile, Burgos said they were implementing a deeper background investigation of possible tenants and coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration and foreign embassies to find out if potential lessees have any criminal record.
He said Ayala Alabang Village only allows the leasing of houses for residential purposes, particularly for single families.
“We are in the process of implementing these changes. Some of them might be completed by next month,” Burgos said.
Jan
24
FunD Run inside Alabang on Jan. 29! Run for your faith now!
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Jan
17
2 more drug labs found inside Ayala Alabang
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From philstar.com:
By: Reinir Padua
MANILA, Philippines – A week after raiding a shabu laboratory in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) raided two more drug laboratories in the same barangay Friday night.
Unlike in the Jan. 6 raid, wherein five Chinese were arrested in the one-hectare property on Acacia street, the two properties raided Friday were unmanned, PDEA Director General Jose Gutierrez Jr. said.
“They were no longer there,” Gutierrez said in an interview at midnight yesterday, minutes after they swooped down on the two facilities.
Last Friday’s operation was prompted by tips from residents following the raid on a one-hectare property there on Jan. 6. “There were those who called us up and even sent text messages. They were suspicious of Chinese nationals seen in those two other houses,” Gutierrez said.
The agency secured a search warrant and raided the houses at 119 Kanlaon street and at 536 Country Club Drive.
At the Kanlaon street house, agents recovered laboratory equipment, assorted chemicals and approximately three kilos of finished shabu. They seized from the house on Country Club Drive laboratory equipment, chemicals, and chemical residue. According to Gutierrez, the two facilities are medium-scale laboratories that could each produce 10 kilos of shabu per cycle, which takes two to three days.
PDEA-National Capital Region director Pedrito Magsino said in a television interview that they have the names and photos of the ones who have been renting the two houses since September last year. He said the owner of one the houses is Filipino, while the other house is owned by a Chinese.
Gutierrez said he has a “strong feeling” that the three shabu laboratories are connected, especially if the Chinese seen in the two houses were also from Hong Kong, just like the ones arrested in the Jan. 6 raid.
He said the stench from the shabu manufacturing process, though it was strong in both houses, could not be detected from the outside. “Once you open the doors, it’s only then you are greeted by the stench,” he said.
Cold medicine
Gutierrez said they also found empty packs of Novahis-D, a brand of cold medicine, in the garbage bags taken out of the two compounds. “Those collecting the garbage must have found it unusual,” he said.
He said the medicine contains ephedrine, an important chemical used in the production of shabu. The PDEA chief said while local drug lab operators just smuggle ephedrine, those running the two shabu laboratories may have extracted the ephedrine from the tablets, which are manufactured in Pakistan.
“This is very common in Thailand and Korea… But this was the first time I saw it here,” he said.
Barangay officials in hot water
Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro directed barangay officials of Ayala Alabang to explain why they should not be sanctioned for the three drug laboratories operating “right under their noses.”
San Pedro’s spokesman, Omar Acosta, said these officials, led by barangay chairman Alfred Burgos, may be sanctioned for being remiss in their duties. He said San Pedro, following the Jan. 6 raid, directed barangay officials to closely coordinate with the homeowners’ association to come up with measures to prevent organized crime syndicates from operating in the area.
“The mayor finds the security protocol ineffective,” Acosta said.
Burgos said the Ayala Alabang Village Association is now reviewing the processes of tenants and agents involved in leasing properties in the village. – With Perseus Echeminada
Jan
12
Soderno is back!
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Have you been to your neighborhood weekend food and organic market lately?
For those whose who want to make the most of their weekend mornings, there is the Soderno Sunday Food and Organic Market (Sundays 8:00am-3:00pm)! Come on over after your morning run for breakfast, enjoy a hearty brunch with friends and family, buy food to take out for lunch at home or indulge in an early merienda! Soderno Sunday market has a great variety of food – from pastas to rice dishes to sandwiches to grilled and fried foods – that all come from home kitchens! And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, Soderno Sunday market is a great place to visit to shop for pastries and desserts from home-based bakers and chefs!
For those who need to do their weekly grocery shopping, visit the organic and all-natural section of Soderno Sunday market! Organic vegetables and herbs and spices from Costales Nature Farms, naturally farmed fish and organic pork from Gana Vida, free range chicken and pates from Pamora and organic and all-natural home, bath and beauty products from Human Nature, Messy Bessy, Mommy Matters, Myr and Ryvi of Organic Company, and Venus and Mars All-Organics.
For those with late night food munchies, there is the Soderno Night Market (Fridays and Saturdays 6:00pm-3:00am). Similar to the vibrant food night markets of Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, Soderno Night Market brings together foodies from all around the South for a gustatory feast with delicacies from around the Philippines and all over the world! Soderno Night Market is the perfect place to spend an evening of new food discoveries and bonding moments with your family and barkada!
And if that’s not enough, Soderno is going to bring foodie fun to the weekdays! Soderno will also be open on Thursday nights starting the first week of February 2012.
We’re also looking for the next big food entrepreneur from the South! If you think your homemade dishes have the potential for commercial success, please contact admin@soderno.com or text 0159322330.
For schedules, announcements and updates, please contact www.soderno.com. You can also follow Soderno at www.facebook.com/soderno or follow www.twitter.com/soderno.
Soderno is located at the Molito Commercial Complex at the corner of Madrigal and Commerce Avenue in Alabang, Muntinlupa.
