Friday, November 02, 2007 Fix security lapses: Roderos By Mia E. Abellana Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ALTHOUGH there were no violent incidents in Metro Cebu’s cemeteries yesterday, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos noted some oversights in the security arrangements in some areas.
Roderos, who checked cemeteries and bus terminals in Metro Cebu, was particularly miffed at the North Bus Terminal, where passengers were unruly in boarding buses without passing through inspections.
He had to personally stop a throng of passengers from entering a bus bound for Tuburan town because their baggage had not been inspected.
Agents from the Land Transportation Office’s Task Force Alpha told Roderos they had similar problems since Wednesday, but the management and police officers were unable to control the crowd.
Task Force Alpha Agent Jose Jao complained that buses should not accept passengers before they have entered the terminal.
He said some of the buses were already full when these entered the terminal and that it was unfair to other passengers who were waiting there.
He noted that the terminal had no signs for buses and that passengers freely entered without going through inspections.
“There must be order. We need to inspect the bags. If something happens, people always blame the police. This is also part of our anti-terrorism campaign. They (terrorists) can take advantage of the confusion,” he said.
Discipline
He also had to explain to eager passengers why he had to delay their entry to the buses.
“Kailangan kasing i-inspect. Baka may bomba diyan (We have to inspect to make sure there are no bombs),” he said.
Roderos ordered acting Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) Director Rodel Calungsud to add more police officers to the terminal to prevent disorder.
It was the exact opposite at the South Bus Terminal, as all passengers passed through inspection, with K-9 dogs from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency going through their bags and with designated loading areas for each bus.
Passengers lined up in designated areas and waited for everyone to get off before boarding the bus.
The Cebu Provincial Police Office’s Special Reaction Unit and volunteers from the Cebu City Police Office’s barangay intelligence network surrounded the terminal.
At the Calamba Cemetery on V. Rama Ave., Roderos also instructed Chief Insp. Mariano Batiancela to make all visitors enter the cemetery in single file.
Sharp eyes
This was after he noticed some visitors skipping inspections when the volunteers and police officers conducting the inspections were unable to notice them because they were busy with other bags.
Surveillance cameras were installed at the Carreta, Calamba, Queen City and Cebu Memorial Park cemeteries.
Sharp ice picks, knives and bolos were confiscated at the cemetery gates.
Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said that although some of the items were used for gardening and for food preparation, he said they had to be sure these would not be used for other purposes such as in riots.
They assured the owners that the items will be returned to them as these were labeled with the owners’ last names so these could be claimed when they left the cemeteries.
