Makati City wants exclusive villages to screen potential tenants

MANILA, Philippines - Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay has ordered officials of exclusive villages to screen potential tenants after the discovery of a suspected drug laboratory in the city last March 21. Binay stressed the need for measures to screen the background of potential tenants and keep a tight watch on drug-related activities in their areas. “We need to intensify our vigilance. Makati has one of the best anti-illegal drug campaigns in the country, but we must never let our guard down," he said in an article on the Makati City website. Binay issued the order upon learning that one of the Chinese nationals arrested in a recent drug raid in Cainta, Rizal rented a duplex-type house in posh Bel-Air village in Makati. The Chinese national, Ang Hok a.k.a. Cai Xihe, admitted that the house they rented in Makati served as their hideout. A raid yielded drug paraphernalia. Binay directed village leaders to coordinate with the village residents’ associations and formulate policies to keep drug dealers and pushers out of their communities. He said village leaders should be more vigilant in monitoring the occupants of rented houses and should remind landlords to be more stringent in accepting tenants. “It is not only in their interest but in the interest of their communities if they run a thorough background check on would-be occupants," he said. Binay likewise instructed the Makati Police to further intensify their intelligence monitoring, surveillance, and anti-illegal drug operations. - GMANews.TV