8-hour standoff at Stradcom building

MANILA, Philippines - Armed men in three vehicles forced their way in and occupied the Stradcom Corp. building at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) compound in Quezon City yesterday morning, triggering an eight-hour standoff.

Police officials said the takeover was an offshoot of unresolved internal corporate dispute. Stradcom is the LTO’s information technology (IT) contractor.

Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele said a new set of security guards reportedly from the Unilateral Security Agency (USA) arrived on board three jeepneys at the Stradcom Corp. building around 4 a.m. yesterday and tried to take over the building.

The USA guards claimed they have a court order to takeover the company building but was met with resistance from the guards of Butler Security Agency, the guards on duty. The former allegedly forced their way into the building and attacked until they successfully occupied the establishment.

Alerted cops from Police Station 10 on EDSA Kamuning rushed to the scene shortly after.

A team of policemen from QCPD, including a SWAT team, arrived but were not allowed to enter the building by the usurpers.

Superintendent Constante Agpaoa, Station 10 commander, was later allowed to enter the building and talk with the unnamed leaders of the guards.

Lawyers of the two feuding groups arrived later. Agpaoa met the lawyers and started the negotiations.

The police later held some 30 of the “attackers” for questioning.

Meanwhile, radio station dzBB reported that LTO head Virginia Torres said the tension at the Stradcom office made LTO’s database temporariy inaccessible yesterday.

She said the takeover disrupted operations at the LTO office. As of noon yesterday, the LTO had taken over the database and operations returned to normal soon after.

Mantele said he ordered his men to secure the Stradcom office to ensure that LTO’s operations can proceed unhampered.

Agpaoa said in an interview that they had to bring in a SWAT team to the Stradcom as the two groups engaged in an armed standoff. However, no shots were fired during the confrontation.

Mantele said he sent over members of District Publice Security Battallion (DPSB) to secure the Stradcom premises until the dispute is settled.

Agpaoa said the 30 guards of the USA has been temporarily taken into custody even as appropriate charges are being readied against them.

Agpaoa said among the charges being considered by the police are trespassing, alarm and scandal and illegal possession of firearms. – Jerry Botial, Rainier Allan Ronda