MANDALUYONG SECURITY SUMMIT
Jenny Herrera
December 2, 2010
The City Government of Mandaluyong will soon be manning its own radio frequency line that will bridge the gap between barangays, the private sector, the police, and the local government in monitoring local incidents.
This was announced by Mayor Benhur during the security summit yesterday morning held at the Kaban ng Hiyas, Maysilo Circle. Around 200 people representing the different malls and hotels in Mandaluyong City, Barangay Peace-keeping Action Teams, Bantay Bayan members and business operators.
Abalos said that the security summit would be a big help to educate security personnel and people involved in public safety. A seminar was held which taught participants how to identify different types of bombs, profiling of terrorists, and determining illegal drug
activities within the community.
“If security guards and barangay tanods know these things, they can immediately report it via radio. We’ve also included the defining of the roles and functions in a crisis management committee. I don’t want to be blamed because of a bungled police operation,” Abalos said.
The summit was also attended by Philippine National Police Chief Director General Raul Bacalzo and Eastern Police District (EDP) Director Police Chief Superintendent Francisco Manalo.
Interested groups who have two-way radios on hand will be accredited by the City Government and will be assigned a code or password. This will help police and the government to communicate and check on various institutions and communities for any incidents from petty crimes to fire to large-scale incidents.
“The problem is that when an incident happens, people will have to make a call via cellphone or landline and it takes time before a report is made. With a two-way radio it’s much faster. Our police can also check on various institutions and locations on a regular basis with no further questions asked. If they don’t get a reply, that’s a signal for our police force to move,” Abalos added.
The radio-reporting system also aims to augment police the police force of the City.
