No Entry sign inside Ayala Alabang Village a venue for entrapment?; Read story here.

We received a complaint about a week ago regarding a supposed deceiving traffic sign inside Ayala Alabang and feel that everyone passing inside the Muntinlupa village should know about this to serve as a warning or additional information when driving there.

Please see the complaint below:

I would like to share my experience yesterday morning, 20Nov14, while
I was bringing my daughter to Woodrose. It was around 7:20am when I
dropped off my daughter at Gate 2 of Woodrose along Santan Street. Our
family driver normally brings her to school in the morning but I was
tasked to do so on that day. As my practice when I pick her up in the
afternoons, I turn left on Sanggumay Street and then right on
Bougainvilla Street as a quick alternative to exit back to Acacia
Ave., rather than going to the end of Santan Street, right on Rosal
Street, then right again on Champaca street (a longer way, going
around the school perimeter and  passing the busy Gates 3 and 5).
However, this time I noticed there was a security guard managing
traffic at the T-intersection of Santan  and Sanggumay Streets and a
signpost in the middle of the road of Sanggumay Street which stated
“No Entry School-bound Non-resident vehicles”. The white, faded tarpaulin
sign was difficult to read until you got really close with the morning
sun shining upon it. I got confused with the no entry sign since it
stated “school-bound” when vehicles that would turn left on Sanggumay
Street would actually be going away from the school.

I am a non-resident of the village and I have noticed that they have such
rules on other streets surrounding Woodrose for the peace and quiet of
nearby residents. However, in this case, the confusing sign and the
fact that the security guard manning the intersection waved me and
several cars before me through, I decided to proceed and turn left at
Sanggumay Street as I had experienced no problems before. About 100
meters down the street, hidden behind a parked Mitsubishi L300 van, I
was flagged by two security guards and issued a parking violation
ticket. There was a previously flagged sedan already being issued one.
I protested to the guards on the confusing sign and the apparent
entrapment tactics. They referred me to their superiors at the village
clubhouse office. I went to the village clubhouse to have the fine of
Php500.00 waived under the circumstances, but was told that this was
not possible since the ticket had already been issued.

In criminal law, entrapment is a practice whereby a law enforcement
agent induces a person to commit a criminal offense that the person
would have otherwise been unlikely to commit.

I wish to share this story with your readers so that others may know
and avoid having the same experience in Ayala Alabang Village.

Here are photos that the reader sent:

In an email to the Ayala Alabang Village Association, security head Romy Javier said that they are acknowledging the complaint and asked us to tell the concerned motorist to visit their office.

When told this, the motorist said that he already went there but nothing happened so it was useless to go again and that a visit would also identify him as the complainant.

According to the motorist too, he passed by the area again last week and saw a security guard still manning the area but saw no sign warning motorists.

May this write up serve as a warning to those passing the area so as not to be apprehended and charged with the P500 fine.

As for the Ayala Alabang Village Association, we hope that they improve communication on the said area so as to avoid confusion and be labeled as “extortionists”.