MPD launches ‘Safe Divisoria’

To lure businessmen and shoppers to Manila’s shopping mecca, Manila Police District (MPD) officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Danilo Abarzosa has ordered his men to intensify its campaign on security and cleanliness in Divisoria.

Abarzosa inspected Divisoria the other day to personally assess the area’s security and orderly situation as part of the MPD’s campaign dubbed as "Safe Ka sa Malinis na Divisoria."

"Aside from the MPD’s program to safeguard the thousands of shoppers in Divisoria, we are also advocating a cleanliness drive in the area in consonance with the ‘Buhayin ang Maynila’ project of Mayor Lito Atienza," Abarzosa told mediamen.

The latest police campaign aims to attract more investors and shoppers in Divisoria which is considered as the "poor man’s shopping destination" due to much lower prices of prime commodities.

To maintain cleanliness, operators of the Divisoria market and shopping malls were instructed to practice garbage segration and abide by the schedule of garbage collecton in the area.

Manila’s OYSTER (Out-of-School Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery) will be deployed along the streets in Divisoria to conduct cleaning of streets and canals, according to Abarzosa. The police were ordered to conduct daily clearing operations to rid the sidewalks of illegal vendors, he added.

To neutralize crime gangs operating in Divisoria, Abarzosa deployed additional policemen and "sekretas" to patrol the area. "Our main concern is to secure the shoppers and maintain peace and order through police visibility."

The MPD has also put up police assistance centers in strategic places in Divisoria to assist shoppers and receive complaints.

Abarzosa has initiated a dialogue with the Western District Traffic Enforcement Office officials to devise a systematic traffic scheme to maintain the smooth flow of vehicles and pedestrians in Divisoria. – Nestor Etolle