Monday, September 15, 2008 NCRPO asks MMDA's help in squatter removal
THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) asked the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for assistance to remove about 200 houses illegally erected inside the police headquarters at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig.
In a letter to MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, Senior Superintendent Co Yee Montes Jr., said the NCRPO has been conducting dialogues with the owners of the properties that will eventually be torn down in order to ensure a smooth and orderly demolition.
"We kindly asked the MMDA to attend the meetings to provide insights on the matter before the actual operations take place about two weeks from today (September 14)," the NCRPO official said in the letter.
The MMDA's Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (Scog) has been asked to help carry out the operation.
Informal or illegal settlers, who include the families of both retired and active police officials and personnel, will be evicted from the property on September 26, 2008.
MMDA-Scog chief Roberto Esquivel, who also heads the MMDA Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG), said the NCRPO is very serious in its move to clear Camp Bagong Diwa of informal settlers.
He explained that retired policemen had been turning parts of the compound to a residential area illegally, which poses a threat to security.
It was not the first time squatting has become a problem in police or military camps. Two years ago, the military evicted several retired officers who refused to vacate their residences inside Fort Bonifacio.
Esquivel said the presence of informal settlers inside the NCRPO endangers the police headquarters because officials are unable to control the entry and exit of unauthorized persons.
"Camp Bagong Diwa is a vital installation," he stressed, noting that criminal elements can easily hide themselves inside by posing as harmless residents.
Aside from serving as the NCRPO headquarters, the camp also houses the PNP Special Action Force, an elite unit trained in close quarter combat. An ammunition dump used to store old munition were also located inside the facility.
The camp also hosted a jail facility for notorious criminals, including members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who are awaiting trial of their cases.
A jailbreak led by ASG commanders Alhamser Manatad Limbong and Ghalib Andang in 2005 was foiled when elite police commandos assaulted the prison. The operation resulted in the death of 21 inmates and a police officer.
He added that the police compound has to tighten its security measures by eliminating illegal settlers who, during the past years, have built houses made both of light and permanent materials inside the property.
Esquivel said NCRPO chief Geary Barias wants to put an end to the problem of squatting, which is happening right within a police camp. (AH/Sunnex)
