Police move to stop sale of stolen phones

The Eastern Police District (EPD) would seek the help of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to curb the sale of stolen cellphones in Greenhills, San Juan.

EPD director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela said the NTC should regulate operations of stall owners at the Greenhills Shopping Center to stop "once and for all" the alleged proliferation of stolen cellphones in the area.

"The NTC should make representations with the vendors and provide them with references or a list of stolen cellphones so they could stay away from them," said Valenzuela.

The EPD director will invite the NTC and arrange a meeting with at least 100 stall owners at the Greenhills Shopping Center this week to set ground rules on cellphone trading.

Valenzuela’s action came after the PDA phones of two reporters from ABC-5 were found displayed in stalls at the shopping center.

The two reporters recovered their cellphones through the intervention of Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, San Juan police chief. However, they have yet to file charges against Abdulmalik Basher and Kalic Sarip, owners of the stalls where the cellphones were recovered.

In a meeting last week, Joey Santos, general manager of the Greenhills Shopping Center, warned vendors they would be "blacklisted" if found guilty of selling stolen cellphones.

Santos declared the incident an "isolated" case but he ordered an investigation against Basher and Sarip to determine whether there are grounds to have them "blacklisted" in the shopping mall.

Jocson said there is a standing agreement between the EPD and the vendors not to sell stolen cellphones. "But some of the vendors appear to be taking chances to earn a few more bucks," said Jocson.

The NTC promised to forward a list of stolen cellphones reported to their office to the stall owners.

"The NTC should play a key role in stopping the selling of stolen cellphones in the shopping center," said the EPD director.

According to Valenzuela, the EPD would invoke its "visitation" powers not only in Greenhills but in other commercial centers in eastern Metro Manila to have erring stall owners arrested for selling stolen gadgets.

Valenzuela tasked his chief of staff Senior Superintendent Federico Laciste Jr. to spearhead the EPD’s campaign against traders selling stolen cellphones.