Security in Chinatown assured

As the celebration of the Chinese New Year kicked off Friday night, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza assured the Chinese community of adequate security for the duration of the four-day affair in Binondo.

Atienza issued the assurance after certain groups expressed fears that criminal elements might take advantage of the celebration to carry out their activities, particularly kidnapping-for-ransom.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has reported at least seven cases of kidnapping-for-ransom in the country during the first two months of the year, with most of their victims, members of the affluent Filipino-Chinese community.

"We have prepared for this (celebration). "Our police are on the lookout of criminal elements," Atienza told reporters shortly after the ceremonial lighting of the Filipino-Chinese Friendship arch at the entrance to Quintin Paredes street.

The mayor also noted the city government and the Western Police District (WPD) have successfully curbed incidents of criminality in the country’s capital for the past years. – Cecille Suerte Felipe