THE 125,000-strong National Police will implement on Tuesday a nationwide security and public-safety plan for the opening of classes around the country.

The plan, mandated by Letter of Instruction 25-08 and dubbed as Oplan “Balik Paaralan” issued by the National Police chief, Director General Avelino Razon Jr., detailed the specific tasks and coordinating orders for all police units.

Millions of students around the country are expected to troop to school for the simultaneous opening of classes in both public and private institutions.

Razon said Oplan Balik Paaralan ensures the operational readiness of police units in responding to peace- and-order concerns, including threats from criminal elements who may take advantage of the situation.

Razon gave regional directors the discretionary authority to raise alert levels as they see it fit to effectively implement Oplan Balik Paaralan.

He said the priority concerns for Tuesday’s school opening are the incidents of street crimes such as pickpocketing, snatching, swindling and robbery hold-up, as well as drug trafficking and violence caused by street gangs.

In Metro Manila, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will deploy 4,000 personnel from the five police districts to conduct foot, mobile and police visibility patrols in strategic areas near schools.

In coordination with the Metro Manila Development Authority, the traffic enforcement group of the NCRPO will lead traffic management operations in the vicinity of schools particularly at the University Belt area in Manila.

In Pasig City, Mayor Robert Eusebio has ordered the city departments in charge of traffic and security to ensure the safe and smooth return of students to their respective schools. He has also asked the local police to intensify peace- and-order operations in the vicinities of all schools in Pasig City.

“We are confident that Pasig students will have a hassle-free first day in school. We have made all the necessary preparations, and contingency plans are in place should there be disruptions such as transport strikes,” Eusebio said. “The safety of our students is our paramount concern.”

Taxis must issue receipts, SC rules

THE Supreme Court (SC) has denied the petition filed by major taxi operators seeking to stop the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) from implementing several memorandum circulars imposing standards and regulations for taxi and mega taxi units, including the issuance of taxi meter receipts.

A KIDNAP for ransom and robbery group allegedly responsible for the abduction of a bank executive last week has been busted with the arrest of its 10 members, including its leader, in a series of operations in Metro Manila, and Nueva Ecija.

THE 125,000-strong National Police will implement on Tuesday a nationwide security and public-safety plan for the opening of classes around the country.

AT least seven persons, most of them minors, were rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from an alleged human-trafficking syndicate in an operation in North Harbor, Manila.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—A notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit with P500,000 price on his head and one of those allegedly involved in last year’s beheading of a Marine killed in an ambush was arrested by combined police and military forces in Basilan, a police official disclosed Monday.

THE whole Alaminos City, in Pangasinan, has been placed in a state of calamity after Typhoon Cosme wrought damage to property estimated at P238 million, or almost as big as the city’s total budget for 2008.

THE Metro Manila police command has activated a task force to track down the policeman who is suspected of involvement in the killing of two Commission on Elections officials.