MMDA help sought in demolition operations inside police camp

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has asked the assistance of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in removing the more than 200 shanties inside Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig. In his letter, Senior Supt Co Yee Montes Jr. asked MMDA Chief Bayani Fernando, through the Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (SCOG), to help carry out the demolition operations. “We have 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 takes place about two weeks from today," Montes said in the letter. The NCRPO headquarters is located inside Camp Bagong Diwa. 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 Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG) head and SCOG chief Roberto Esquivel said that 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. Esquivel said the presence of informal settlers inside the NCRPO allows the entry and exit of unauthorized persons within the camp. Aside 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 ammunition is also located inside the facility. - GMANews.TV