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Alleged Palace 'infighting' reaches Makati as Binay's son refuses to meet Robredo


The alleged infighting between the two perceived factions in Malacañang has been said to have spilled over to Makati City after City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. turned down Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo's request for an "urgent meeting." Binay's father is said to be allied with the "Samar" faction in Malacañang while Robredo is reportedly allied with the rival "Balay" faction. On January 19, when celebrated chef Margarita Fores' vehicle was reported stolen in Makati City, Robredo wrote to Binay to discuss the peace-and-order situation in the city. "I need to understand the sudden interest in Makati and its peace and order situation, which appears to have been prompted by the car theft incident involving a relative of Mr. Mar Roxas, who is the president of the Liberal Party (LP) of which you are the executive vice president," Binay told Robredo. "Unless a convincing basis is provided, I regret that I must respectfully decline your request," Binay said in a letter to Robredo, excerpts of which were posted on Monday on the city's web portal. The "relative" that Binay was referring to was Fores, a cousin of former Sen. Manuel Roxas II. GMANews. TV has sought Robredo for comment through phone calls and SMS but has received no reply as of posting time. Binay's father beat Roxas in the vice presidential race in the May 2010 elections. Roxas was the runningmate of incumbent President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Roxas is expected to return to the Palace soon as Aquino's "chief troubleshooter." "Urgent" meeting A news release on the Makati City web portal said Robredo sought the "urgent meeting" with the mayor, key city officials, and all police commanders. Robredo requested that the meeting be held on Monday to "discuss and collectively find solution to the pressing peace and order issues specifically in the City of Makati." However, the younger Binay, in declining the request for a meeting, said car theft incidents in Makati were low, based on figures provided by the Philippine National Police (PNP). In 2010, the PNP said there were only 14 reported vehicle theft incidents in Makati, and eight of these cases involved motorcycles. “This is a significant accomplishment, considering that the total volume of vehicles in Makati is estimated at over 700,000, particularly during work days," the mayor said. Makati precint commander Binay also questioned the swift relief of the Makati Precinct Commander where Fores' vehicle was stolen. He noted that the PNP was not as quick to relieve police officers in other localities with more cases of car theft. “The incident happened at 1:00 a.m. in an area which is not among the areas prioritized by the severely-undermanned Makati Police during this time," Binay said. "The car theft is an unfortunate incident, but the swiftness of the relief of the Precinct Commander by no less than the Chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is also unfortunate, since to my recollection, Precinct Commanders in other local governments with much higher incidents of car theft do not get the same attention from the NCRPO chief," he added. Crime solution efficiency rating Binay also cited PNP figures showing that Makati has one of the highest Crime Solution Efficiency Rates in the Southern Police District (SPD), which stood at 81.39 percent in 2010. He said the Makati Police deserves to be acknowledged for its high solution rate, considering that Makati only has 538 policemen whereas the city has an extremely high daytime population of over three million. The police to population ratio in Makati stands at one policeman for every 6,752 people during daytime, and one policeman for every 931 people at night. The ideal is one policeman for every 500 people. Meanwhile, Binay reiterated the city government’s request for additional policemen, considering its high daytime population and the presence of major corporations, banks, malls, hotels and embassies in Makati. “We have long asked for additional policemen, if only to provide better police visibility particularly in the Central Business District (CBD). We hope that the DILG would seriously act on this long-standing proposal," he said. – with Paterno Esmaquel II, VVP, GMANews.TV

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