‘No increase in prices of Divisoria school supplies’

There will be no increases in prices of school supplies in Divisoria, a vendors’ group disclosed yesterday.

Freddie Reyes, president of the Divisoria Vendors Association, said sellers and traders in Divisoria decided to "stabilize the prices of notebooks, pencils, crayons and school uniforms to attract more shoppers this year."

Reyes said the price of elementary and intermediate notebooks will be sold at P8.50 each, or the same price as last year’s.

The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (FFCCC) said the prices of commodities in Divisoria remain competitive and significantly lower than other shopping districts.

Uy also lauded the Manila Police District (MPD) for maintaining peace and order in Manila, particularly Divisoria.

The MPD inspected different stalls in Divisoria during the relaunching of the "Safe Ka sa Divisoria" program last Thursday and verified prices as declared by the vendors’ group.

A joint project of the MPD and the FFCCC and supported by the Manila City Hall, the program was first introduced in Divisoria last Christmas.

"The program proved successful, so we are replicating it in time for the influx of shoppers this June," MPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong said.

The MPD will deploy additional uniformed and plainclothes policemen to minimize the incidence of theft, Bulaong added.

The MPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), led by Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, will oversee program. His team will be assisted by cops from the Binondo and Moriones police stations which have jurisdiction over Divisoria.

Sapitula said two teams of CIDU agents will monitor of police operatives in the area, especially the round-the-clock patrol of police mobile cars.

The MPD will also set up police assistance and information centers in the area to receive complaints from shoppers.

An information drive will be launched soon to notify shoppers of the modus operandi of criminal syndicates and help them to avoid being victimized by criminals.

The District Traffic Enforcement Group will also implement a systematic traffic scheme around Divisoria to maintain the smooth flow of traffic.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is now preparing for the opening of classes to ensure the smooth flow of traffic once millions of students troop back to school a few weeks from now.

Senior Superintendent Eduardo Desquitado, chief of the MMDA’s Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG), said they have identifed schools and areas known to be perennially congested during school days.

"Steel railings along pedestrian lanes leading to and from school gates should be in place as well as adequate lightings along pathways, pedestrian lanes and waiting sheds," he said. — With Rhodina Villanueva