THE WORD: “DESTROY THIS TEMPLE AND IN THREE DAYS, IT’LL RISE AGAIN.” (Jesus was referring to his own body as the real temple of God and not the church-building).
IT was a cordial treatment reserved aptly for the new Zamboanga City Police Officer-In-Charge, Senior Supt. Dennis Basngi, when invited to show up and enlighten the City Council on the real peace and order condition of Mi Ciudad de Zamboanga after the two colossal crisis (the three-week bloody standoff perpetrated by the breakaway MNLF-Misuari armed group and the massive deluge that swiftly followed) wreaked real havoc in the city’s worst hit areas.
THE reserved and composed-looking police colonel from the Cordillera Region in Luzon took his time first listening to the August Body’s top listed guests coming from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines out to explain to the same August Body in their own supposed face-off for some clarities and verifications on certain contentious issues affecting the Zamboanga City International airport.
AFTER they were done, the August Body took turn on focusing upon major police matters—specifically on its security aspect.
TOGETHER with his two key officers Senior Insp. Cesar Memoracion, the police traffic head and another ranking cop (whose name how I wish I knew while covering the Council’s regular session on November 13), Basngi didn’t budge as he stood his ground when responding to all those queries feasted on him by the August Body.
ONE concern was how the local police utilizes its checkpoints to beef up its security measures for the City’s ample security and protection.
WITH regards to providing additional permanent checkpoints, aside those two known in place at Malagutay and at the perimeter of the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in the west coast, Senior Supt. Basngi informed this has to be threshed out first with Task Force Zamboanga Commander under Army Col. Andy Colina.
HE said Task Force Zamboanga is taking charge of setting up checkpoints in areas where high suspicion of insurgency can be basically detected.
“BUT, we’re usually conducting our checkpoints randomly, citywide,” Basngi pointed out.
NOW, on the strong recommendation coming from the supposed various sectors for the total lifting of the curfew( currently from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. the following), Senior Supt. Basngi buttressed the fact on the strength of its own police journal, that from said period, “a zero crime rate has been recorded.
Good News!
BASGNI, when asked if he therefore favors the continuity of the said curfew hours, sans any doubt, said he’s all out for its permanent stay if only to help avert the commission of crimes in Mi Ciudad de Zamboanga.
ON those mentioned 4-hour curfew period, it has been largely noted that the usually outrageous late night noises, just like those from the known risk-taking and thrill-seeking youngsters staging their so-called “drag race” right on the City’s major thoroughfares like the dimly-lit main road of R.T. Lim Blvd. have been totally stopped.
“Tungkol sa curfew hours, nawala na mga iyon distorbo sa atin ciudad (Because of the curfew, this kind of noises has already dissipated),” one top police official attested.
SO, what’s the ruckus then?
BUT, to the business sector, this doesn’t sound great at all.
“ONCE, they say we’re back to our normal activities, what’s the need of the curfew? It doesn’t make sense at all,” protested one concerned biz-man in here.
BEFORE I wind up my piece in my column, I would like very much to wish Good Luck to these kagawad aspirants I happened to meet and have sought my very indulgence to include their names in Pencing – Jay Mejia (Sta. Maria running under Abe Solis Tan’s ticket, Jake Fabian (Tumaga) and Nonong Santiago (Tumaga).
OF course, to all those vying for seats in the Nov. 25 special barangay polls in Mi Ciudad de Zamboanga, let’s be good sport in victory and in defeat.
Let’s not resort to further bloodbath, like what has just happened in Barangay Ayala on November 11 that resulted to 2 Kagawad bets killed and 11 others wounded in a despicable grenade-throwing incident.
DE demonyo kel trabaho!
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