My family live in a once trouble-wracked neighborhood or purok in Barangay Bahay Toro, Quezon City, where robberies, holdups and burglaries often occurred, even in daytime. Many times at night, noisy street drinking sessions were rampant—so with alternating rowdy, supposedly birthday celebrations bellowing irritating videoke sounds that shattered the stillness of the night. These nocturnal nuisance activities distracted me from doing my take-home school work. It also deprived my aging parents and their fellow senior citizen-homeowners and weary day-shift workers of much-needed sleep and rest at night.
Worse, high on alcohol or prohibited drugs, some groggy street guzzlers created trouble, did harm and even committed petty crimes with impunity. To keep themselves and their properties safe from these “trip-crazy” villagers, burglars, hooligans, vandals or what have you, a group of alarmed and terrified homeowners banded together and installed a perimeter around their cluster of houses and hired guards to man their gates. Meanwhile, we who were residing outside the guarded community continued to bear with the on-and-off incidents of robbery, holdup, burglary and street drinking.
Not anymore. Today, our community is peaceful and the bedtime street noise and disturbance have simmered down. Thanks to the police and officials of our barangay from whom we sought assistance. Special mention goes to then Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 3 commander, Supt. Carlito Feliciano, who ordered former Bahay Toro Police Community Precinct (PCP 3) commander, Chief Insp. Jeffrey Bilaro, to handle and resolve the problem in coordination with the concerned Barangay Toro officials.
In this regard, I and my parents and neighbors would like to commend Bahay Toro’s Police Community Precinct for a job well done. Their quick action on my parents’ complaint gave us a welcome respite and, no doubt, enhanced the image of “Mama and Aling Pulis” as guardians of the peace. At the same time it gave meaning and credence to the Philippine National Police (PNP) hierarchy’s transformation advocacy.
To maintain peace and order in our community, and for that matter in the entire barangay, Kagawad Boying delos Reyes said he has proposed to Barangay Chairman Jun Ferrer the passage of a curfew ordinance and the appointment of a purok leader in our neighborhood.
We are hopeful that Bahay Toro’s Police Community Precinct in coordination with the Barangay Public Police Safety Office (BPPSO) will remain vigilant, continue its nightly patrol and strictly enforce laws and ordinances, more so this Christmas season when incidents of burglary and noisy street drinking are expected to return to our place. Only with the vigilance and help of these officials can we, the homeowners, be assured of merry but peaceful and orderly Christmas and New Year celebrations.
—KEANNA ANN B. MAGPAYO,
BSBA Major in Financial Management freshman, University of the East,keanna_ann@yahoo.com