Osmeña: IT Park security is shameful

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña called the security situation at the Cebu Information Technology (IT) Park as shameful as he slammed its developer, Ayala Land, for failing to light up its unsafe areas.

Osmeña expressed disappointment that despite the efforts of the city government to keep the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) workers safe, he still received many complaints about robberies and other crimes in the area.

“Ngit-ngit gyod ang lugar. I told them, ‘Wa mo nauwaw, mong mga Ayala, and you are the darkest place in the city?’ (The place is really dark. I told them, ‘Are you not ashamed that you are Ayala and you have the darkest place in the city?’)” said Osmeña.

“Useless ang police. Useless ang Ayala. (The police are useless. Ayala is useless). The substation inside IT Park doesn’t help. I already received complaints, they (police) are not responsive,” he added.

Osmeña posted on his Facebook account on Monday (December 17) a complaint from a concerned citizen who claimed that the police was not able to immediately respond to a shooting incident just a few steps away from the IT Park police substation.

The mayor said that he will no longer address the concern to Senior Supt. Royina Garma, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), saying it is useless and that the police refuse to listen to him, anyway.

Osmeña admitted that he was disappointed with the ‘explanations’ of the IT Park management during their meeting on Tuesday regarding the complaints of citizens about the dimly-lit park.

To address the problem, the mayor said he suggested to IT Park management to recruit retired military men from Barangay Apas and Barangay Lahug to help augment the security forces there.

“I gave them a suggestion to consider this. Just give the retired military an honorarium of P1,000 a month and a little livelihood,” said Osmeña.

He suggested providing the retired military men with security stations inside the park where they can sell cellphone load so they will be familiar of the people around the park.

He also suggested that the BPO workers be taught martial arts especially arnis so that they can protect themselves.

Nanette Garong, Cebu City’s Call Center Program head, said that the IT Park management agreed to pay for the arnis training of BPO workers.

Management, however, refused to comment about what transpired during their meeting with Osmeña.