MPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong issued the order in anticipation of a huge number of shoppers who are expected to flock to shopping areas, especially in Divisoria.
"Our main concern is to secure the general public, in line with the initiative of Mayor Lito Atienza, to maintain peace and order in Manila’s busiest markets," Bulaong stressed.
The number of traders is expected to increase this month with the influx of shoppers who troop to Divisoria malls and markets, which are known for having lower prices than other markets in Metro Manila, Bulaong added.
The MPD is also coordinating with the Manila City Hall’s Hawkers Office, the Manila Police Trackers and the vendors to ensure the safety of shoppers. Additional uniformed operatives and plainclothes have been deployed to public markets and malls.
The MPD has also set up police assistance and information centers at malls and the Divisoria market to assist shoppers. An information drive was launched to notify shoppers about the modus operandi of criminal syndicates and to prevent the public from falling prey to their nefarious activities.
The MPD Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG), under Superintendent Roberto de la Rosa, has established several "no loading and unloading" zones along Felipe street in Divisoria.
Under the improved traffic scheme, public utility vehicles are only allowed to load and unload passengers at designated areas, including the west side portion of Reina Regente street.
Steel railings were also installed along Reina Regente street from Felipe II to Alvarado streets to prevent counter-flowing of traffic. Pedestrian lanes were also put up across Meisic Mall to allow shoppers to cross the road unhampered.
The streets of Felipe II, Meisic, Gen. La Cambre and De la Reina shall be one-way from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tricycles and pedicabs are also prohibited to pass through Reina Regente and Soler streets.
"The MPD also encourages mall management to assign security officers outside their premises to direct the flow of traffic to help reduce traffic congestion," Bulaong said.
"These rigid checkpoints are part of NPD’s heightened security measures to thwart entry of big-time crime groups into Camanava, especially during the Christmas holidays," Senior Superintendent Constante "Jonboy" Azares, NPD operations chief, told The STAR.
Apart from being deterrent to criminal groups, the checkpoints are also intended to prevent the entry of banned firecrackers, Azares said.
He explained that NPD’s 24-hour checkpoints will focus on the boundary of Caloocan City and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, as well as the province’s borders in Barangay Malinta, Valenzuela City, and Barangay Potrero in Malabon City.
In the coastal town of Navotas, the NPD also put up checkpoints on Road 10 and C-3 Road, two main thoroughfares that connect the northern metropolis to Manila.
NPD director Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales also ordered more police visibility patrol at Camanava’s malls, bus stations, LRT stations and churches in time for the Simbang Gabi.
Azares, who is chief of the Joint Anti-Bank Robbery Armor Committee (JABRAC) in the northern metropolis, said he is planning to meet with officers of bankers associations in the area to assess security readiness.
Only last week, five robbers staged a robbery at Banco de Jesus, a rural bank on McArthur Highway in Valenzuela City and escaped with around P200,000.
Azares said that apart from having no security guard, the bank was not equipped with "security precaution" devices. – With Pete Laude