Ex-military men eyed to secure IT Park

CEBU, Philippines — To address security issues in Barangay Apas, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña suggested to a private company to hire the services of retired military officers in the village.

The mayor received over 10 text messages from workers at Cebu I.T. Park of alleged robbery incidents within the vicinity and reports of unlighted streets, said Cebu City Call Center Program Head Nanette Garong.

“I suggested to them to consider…I will recruit a volunteer force of retired military from Apas. Just give them honorarium of P1,000 per month and a little livelihood,” said Osmeña at a press conference yesterday.

Osmeña met yesterday some officials of the security department of the IT Park to discuss the issue.

The mayor said he wanted the private company to provide little livelihood for retired military officers in Barangay Apas.

“The livelihood is that we’ll put station there like a phone booth, in a security station, where the call center agents can buy load. And they should always be assigned in the same place so they will be familiar of the people who go there every day,” he said.

Osmeña said the city and BPO companies will also organize arnis, a martial art, trainings.

“It’s the most unsafe place in IT Park. I don’t care about any explanation. Useless ang police. Useless ang Ayala,” he said, adding that a sub-police station in the area is reportedly not responsive to the needs of the people there.

Osmeña said the city government already deployed free buses for BPO and other graveyard shift workers, lighting streets outside the area, and will soon install surveillance cameras.

“We’re doing what we can. They’re (Ayala, police) not addressing it (security issues),”

An IT Park management representative, who refused to be named, assured that they will work closely with the local government unit to improve the security in the area.

Garong said the management did not receive security complaints from workers.

“Ingon ang sa IT Park nga wala silay nadawat nga mga complaints maong among ipang send ang mga complaints to them,” she said.

One of the text messages informed Osmeña that there was a robbery incident in a “dark passage” area near eBloc 2 of IT Park. — KBQ (FREEMAN)