Vandals create havoc in Baguio; monitored

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Barangays and police stations intensified their monitoring and surveillance operations against vandalism as perpetrators were reported to have shifted their operations to residential areas. 
    Baguio City Police Office City Director P Col. Francisco Bulwayan Jr. told Mayor Benjamin Magalong that the vandals have now been targeting remote areas in villages after public places and the central business district became restricted to them due to enhanced monitoring.

    Bulwayan assured the mayor that the different police stations will step up their anti-vandalism operations in tandem with the barangays to deter these activities.
    The mayor expressed concern after proliferation of graffiti and defaced walls and private properties was reported in some barangays including the GEFA (Gen. Emilio F. Aguinaldo) Lower QM.
    GEFA-Lower QM punong barangay Michael Marinas, in an interview with Bombo Radyo, said they have not had problems with vandals in the past and only started having one when they lost their CCTVs which they used for monitoring.
    He said they suspect that this was the handiwork of gang members who might be residents of other barangays.
    He said that since they have not identified any perpetrator, the barangay officials and employees and affected residents in collaboration with the Baguio City Police Station 5 personnel will undertake the clean-up and repainting of the defaced walls.
    Meanwhile, investigations will continue to identify the culprit and monitoring of areas serving as convergence points for wayward persons will be heightened, he said.
    Mayor Magalong encouraged residents to do their part by helping watch out for suspicious persons and reporting illegal activities to authorities at once. 

Stowaway child from Angeles rescued from woman in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY -- The Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) reported rescuing a nine-year-old girl from an older homeless woman she was staying with next to a waiting shed at Hilltop at the public market.
    POSD head enforcer Daryll Longid said stall owners reported to the team the case of the young girl who, together with the older woman had been taking up residence at Hilltop for several days already.
    The duo was seen rummaging through rubbish that had been dumped at the designated garbage collection area, which was causing a stench to linger. Their presence was also obstructing the sidewalk.
     “When our team approached and interviewed the older woman, she was unable to give a coherent response, especially when asked about the young girl she was with. This prompted our desk officer, who was called to the scene, to engage the child directly.
    At first, she was evasive and even gave a false name. But after she was given the assurance that we were there to help her, she broke down and started crying.
    Our team then decided to take her to our office to interview her further, where we got more information,” the POSD head said.
    According to the POSD, the girl was informed that she was from Pandan, Angeles City, Pampanga and she had left home without her parents' permission to be with her older sister at another barangay in Angeles City.  
     “Along the way, she met the older woman she was found with, who somehow convinced her to go with her.
    They arrived in the city three days ago.  Our desk officer contacted the chairman of Barangay Pandan in the hopes of getting information about the girl's family, but the official was unfortunately not familiar with them.
    He promised to ask around and get in touch with us once he gets useful information,” the POSD said.
    As a matter of procedure, the POSD took the child down to the Women's and Children's Protection Desk (WCPD) for processing before she was turned over to the city shelter at Silungan under the City Social and Welfare Development Office (CSWDO).
     “As for the older woman she was with, who is believed to be a non-local, our enforcers went back to see her, but she had already left the place when our team got there. A directive to locate the woman has been sent out to our different teams so that she can answer why she took the child she was not related to.” - POSD