Checkpoints of courteous soldiers OK if aim is to deter crime - Recto

If only for the safety of call center workers in the graveyard shift, clearly-marked military checkpoints manned by courteous soldiers in Metro Manila should be allowed, Sen. Ralph Recto said today.

Many of those who work at night would welcome the sight of soldiers doing their share in keeping the city safe. A squad of soldiers stationing themselves in a crime-prone intersection should be a source of comfort, Recto explained.

It is a question of practicality. Any program that would deter criminals should be supported, he said.

Recto disputed allegations that deploying Armed Forces units in the streets of the metropolis would send the wrong signal of a city under siege.

On the contrary, the message it conveys is a city that is being kept safe, he said.

Criminals in the national capital region have been getting bolder lately that augmentation of policemen by soldiers should be a logical thing to do, Recto said.

Banks inside malls are being robbed in daylight, restaurant patrons are routinely stripped of their belongings, Internet cafes, buses are prime targets of holdups - these are arguments for getting help from the military, Recto said.

While he welcomes the deployment of soldiers in major urban centers, it should be temporary in duration and limited in scope Recto said. This should not be a permanent thing.

He said a checkpoint of soldiers should be thoroughly briefed by civilian authorities and headed by an officer. If possible, it should be a composite team composed of the police and barangay tanods.

Military assigned at checkpoints should not wear combat fatigues, but a uniform that doesnt reek of going to battle, Recto added.

Recto said he supports military checkpoints as an anti-criminality tactic thats why I would welcome their presence at night on dangerous streets.

What I am against is the use of soldiers for political ends like embedding them in barangays so they can campaign against activist groups, he ended.