Living in a peaceful neighborhood

My family live in a once trouble-wracked neighborhood or purok in Barangay Bahay Toro, Quezon City, where robberies, hold-ups and burglaries occurred occasionally, 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 and assignments as well as deprived my aging parents and their fellow senior citizen-homeowners and weary day-shift workers the much-needed sleep and rest at night.

Worse, high in 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 contiguous group of alarmed and terrified homeowners banded together and installed on their community’s perimeter fence paid guard-manned steel gates. Meanwhile, for us residing in the unguarded surroundings, the ordeal caused by the on-and-off incidents of robbery, hold-up, burglary and street drinking continued.

Not anymore, Today, our community is peaceful and the bedtime street noise and disturbance simmered down. Thanks to the police and officials of our barangay from whom my parents sought assistance. Special mention goes to then Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 3 Commander Superintendent Carlito Feliciano who ordered former Bahay Toro Police Community Precinct (PCP 3) commander Chief Inspector Jeffrey Bilaro to handle and resolve my parents’ complaint 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 from our community’s pestering problems and no doubt enhanced the image of “Mama and Aling Pulis” as guardian of the peace. At the same time it gave meaning and credence to the Philippine National Police (PNP) hierarchy’s transformation advocacy.

To sustain 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 an ordinance on curfew and the appointment of a purok leader in our neighborhood.

Be that as it may, we are hopeful that Bahay Toro’s Police Community Precinct in coordination with the Barangay Public Police Safety Office (BPSO) will remain vigilant, continue its nightly patrol and strictly enforce the necessary laws and ordinances more so this Christmas season when incidents of burglaries and noisy street drinking are expected to happen again in our place. Only then, can we – the homeowners, be assured of a merriful but peaceful and orderly Christmas and New Year celebrations.