A Secure and Pleasant Environment: Compare and Contrast
I am posting this to give information on Gramercy for what they are going through and also allowing us to compare and contrast just some common problems that may be greater at one than the other. Unit Owners at all buildings must be given control of the condominium corporation without the long drawn out struggle with the noted problems for those speaking out and acting. Read each of these and please comment to this post.
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We had a problem here with someone who had been in the building and then was banned as I was told only to return. I was told at least some of the staff of the building knew he was back and only when he threatened to jump off the balcony was he removed. This is in the blog for Soho Central and that also explained the police coming here prior to the final event which no one knew why and the managing never told us. So many issues Unit Owners are left in the dark.
NBI busts drug ring in 3 condos
By Erika Sauler
Philippine Daily Inquirer | 2:48 am | Thursday, January 16th, 2014
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/564641/nbi-busts-drug-ring-in-3-condos#ixzz2spNM5LGl
National Bureau of Investigation agents arrested six people believed to have links with Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel in raids on three luxury properties in Taguig and Makati cities early Wednesday, bolstering suspicions that the Latin drug trade had reached the Philippines through foreign and local connections.
The agents also seized “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride), cocaine and ecstasy pills worth P100 million in the raids on The Luxe Residences and One Serendra in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, and on Gramercy Residence in Makati City.
Canadian Barry Espadilla and Filipino Tristan Olazo were arrested in the raid on The Luxe Residences, while Canadian Tara Leanne Hadden-White was arrested in the raid on One Serendra.
Canadian James Riach, Filipino Gibson Arca and Iranian-Canadian Ali Shirazi were arrested in the raid on Gramercy Residence.
The suspects’ arrest in luxury residential properties with their own security showed an advance in drug traders’ tactics to conceal their operations, the authorities said.
Augusto Eric Isidoro, executive director of the NBI Reaction, Arrest and Interdiction Division, said the raiding teams had difficulty entering the properties, as they had to ask for permission to enter from the building administrators despite carrying search and arrest warrants.
Isidoro said the suspects had evaded detection by renting apartments in the three posh properties. Such places are not easily penetrable to authorities, he said.
Sinaloa links
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said NBI Director Medardo de Lemos informed her about the raid after 3 a.m.
She said investigators were looking into the suspects’ links with the Sinaloa drug cartel, Mexico’s biggest and deadliest drug network.
The NBI, she said, could not immediately determine whether the suspects were linked to Sinaloa, but an informant claimed that the seized drugs came from Mexico.
Drugs from the Sinaloa cartel were seized by police in a raid on a game fowl ranch in Batangas province on Christmas Day.
According to initial findings, De Lima said, the suspects had been operating in the Philippines for about seven months.
An informant tipped off the NBI about the suspects’ operations, leading to a two-month surveillance and the raids early on Wednesday.
Selling drugs
Isidoro said the suspects sold drugs to prominent users in exclusive clubs and casinos like Club Haze in Bonifacio Global City and Republiq Club in Resorts World in Pasay City.
They also threw exclusive cocktail parties at Gramercy, where nitrous oxide or laughing gas was also seized, Isidoro said. He said the suspects imported the substances from Mexico and Colombia, smuggling them into the country, recooking and repackaging them.
A kilo of cocaine could be increased to 3 or 4 kg after adding a substance called phenamine, Isidoro said.
The suspects learned to do it through the Internet, he said.
He said the suspects had admitted that some of the substances were unadulterated ecstasy, which they made into capsules with artificial flavors, such as strawberry and mango.
Convicted gangsters
Espadilla and Riach belong to the Independent Soldier gang in Canada where they face murder, weapons and drug charges, Isidoro said.
“They have been convicted of various crimes in Canada,” De Lima said. “I think this information was obtained by the NBI from the Interpol.”
De Lima said she was alarmed that the Canadians, who had been convicted of crimes in their country, managed to enter the Philippines and operate a drug ring in Manila.
She said the government would concentrate on the case and try to neutralize the Sinaloa syndicate’s operations here.
The Bureau of Immigration may have to tighten the screening of arriving foreigners, with the justice department working with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other offices to bust the syndicate’s foreign and local tentacles here, she said.
Tightening security
Following the raids in Taguig, Mayor Lani Cayetano urged building managers in Bonifacio Global City to be more strict with tenants and security.
Cayetano said property owners and managers should review their procedures and tighten their monitoring for illegal activities within their premises.—With reports from Jerome Aning and Jaymee T. Gamil
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It seems Gramercy is one of the homes to exclusive parties. Did the Unit Owners know this would take place with all the costly security and rules imposed upon law abiding Unit Owners?
All is not well at Gramercy. I was also told more about the sad state it is falling into. No surprise to me just look at past buildings and patterns.
Why NBI men can’t crash drug parties
By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer | 1:29 am | Sunday, January 19th, 2014
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/565823/why-nbi-men-cant-crash-drug-parties#ixzz2spOITJo0
High-end bars, the favorite hangout of the rich, young and famous, from celebrities to politicians, are so way up there that they now employ security personnel trained to spot undercover agents, according to an antinarcotics officer of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Eric Isidoro, supervising agent of the NBI antinarcotics section, spoke of the difficulty of penetrating such places in the wake of last week’s raids in Taguig and Makati cities which yielded caches of party drugs known to be peddled in exclusive nightspots.
Security people in these bars “not only turn a blind eye on (drug) users but are also trained to spot agents,” he said in an Inquirer interview Saturday.
“There were instances when our agents were already inside and then later asked to leave after they could not present membership cards. They were even frisked for hidden cameras,” Isidoro recalled.
Upscale condos
Agents also encounter a similar difficulty with upscale condominiums suspected of being used by drug syndicates as laboratories or safe houses.
“They recruit security personnel and pay them a lot of money to ensure law enforcers could not go up their units,” he added. “We do not have the resources that they have and we have to be more creative in finding ways to get inside.”
The NBI arrested six people, including three Canadians, in early-morning raids at posh residences in Makati and Taguig Wednesday last week on suspicion that they were members of an international drug ring.
Seized during the raid were stocks of “shabu” (methamphetamine hyrdochloride), cocaine and ecstasy pills with a total estimated street value of P100 million. The discoveries stoked fears that the Sinaloa drug cartel, Mexico’s biggest and deadliest drug network, had started operating in the country.
‘Huge breakthrough’
Calling the raids “a huge breakthrough,” Isidoro said the seized drugs included MDMA or methylenedioxy, which he described as “the new ecstasy” and “is only available through the Mexican drug cartel.”
According to the senior NBI agent, it is usually hard to tell if a person is taking MDMA since “it does not leave signs of abuse after short-term use.”
Having MDMA among the seized drugs could be a sign that the Sinaloa cartel “is testing the viability of their business here.”
In an earlier Inquirer interview, Isidoro said the suspects arrested in the Jan. 15 raids sold drugs to users at exclusive clubs and casinos like Club Haze in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and Republiq Club in Resorts World in Pasay City.
They also threw exclusive parties at Gramercy Residence in Makati City, he added.
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*I am posting this link along with two previous posted links as a warning and observation. Besides any other issues and problems Gramercy may have these notable incidents as reported in the media seem to be heading the building to an environment that is not healthy. It is quite sad for any Unit Owner who has spent their money to face such a prospect.
Deniece, Cedric seen showing off Vhong's video
(This url leads to a page where the contents have been replaced by "You are not authorized to access this page." So you will see in the next link below the contents which have been removed.) http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/01/27/14/deniece-cedric-seen-showing-vhongs-video
(This is the cached contents of the website since the url has the contents deleted.)http://208.71.46.190/search/srpcache?ei=UTF-8&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abs-cbnnews.com%2Fentertainment%2F01%2F27%2F14%2Fdeniece-cedric-seen-showing-vhongs-video&fr=yfp-t-901-8&u=http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=http%3a%2f%2fwww.abs-cbnnews.com%2fentertainment%2f01%2f27%2f14%2fdeniece-cedric-seen-showing-vhongs-video&d=4840094377315053&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=6I9I1prJXa-ZBWYFEKFky8deXMIMejKQ&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=zvwreyccwnyedR.zzekM5w--
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 01/27/2014 7:20 PM | Updated as of 01/27/2014 7:20 PM
Deniece Cornejo and Cedric Lee were seen at a party last Saturday showing off a video of “It’s Showtime” host Vhong Navarro being tortured, according to broadcast journalist Karen Davila.
Speaking on her radio program “Pasada Sais Trenta” which she co-anchors with Vic Lima, Davila said: “Ang liit ng Maynila. Noong Sabado lumabas daw si Deniece at Cedric Lee sa isang party. Kinukwento ng mga kaibigan ko, pinagyayabang pa raw kung ano ‘yung ginawa niya kay Vhong Navarro.”
“Sinabi ng mga kaibigan ko na kilala rin siya (Lee),” said Davila, who added that the two were seen partying at The Gramercy Residences in Makati City.
Citing Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Davila noted that Lee is allegedly a member of the Chinese mafia.
“Sabi niya (Estrada) bahagi raw ‘yan ng Chinese mafia,” she said, referring to Lee.
During their show, Davila and Lima also questioned some parts of the incident, such as the police's failure to question both parties.
“Ang dami pong loopholes sa kwentong ito,” she said.
Davila has been vocal about her support for Navarro, as seen in her Twitter posts to her more than one million followers.
Deniece, Cedric seen showing off Vhong's video
(This url leads to a page where the contents have been replaced by "You are not authorized to access this page." So you will see in the next link below the contents which have been removed.) http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/01/27/14/deniece-cedric-seen-showing-vhongs-video
(This is the cached contents of the website since the url has the contents deleted.)http://208.71.46.190/search/srpcache?ei=UTF-8&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abs-cbnnews.com%2Fentertainment%2F01%2F27%2F14%2Fdeniece-cedric-seen-showing-vhongs-video&fr=yfp-t-901-8&u=http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=http%3a%2f%2fwww.abs-cbnnews.com%2fentertainment%2f01%2f27%2f14%2fdeniece-cedric-seen-showing-vhongs-video&d=4840094377315053&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=6I9I1prJXa-ZBWYFEKFky8deXMIMejKQ&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=zvwreyccwnyedR.zzekM5w--
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 01/27/2014 7:20 PM | Updated as of 01/27/2014 7:20 PM
Deniece Cornejo and Cedric Lee were seen at a party last Saturday showing off a video of “It’s Showtime” host Vhong Navarro being tortured, according to broadcast journalist Karen Davila.
Speaking on her radio program “Pasada Sais Trenta” which she co-anchors with Vic Lima, Davila said: “Ang liit ng Maynila. Noong Sabado lumabas daw si Deniece at Cedric Lee sa isang party. Kinukwento ng mga kaibigan ko, pinagyayabang pa raw kung ano ‘yung ginawa niya kay Vhong Navarro.”
“Sinabi ng mga kaibigan ko na kilala rin siya (Lee),” said Davila, who added that the two were seen partying at The Gramercy Residences in Makati City.
Citing Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Davila noted that Lee is allegedly a member of the Chinese mafia.
“Sabi niya (Estrada) bahagi raw ‘yan ng Chinese mafia,” she said, referring to Lee.
During their show, Davila and Lima also questioned some parts of the incident, such as the police's failure to question both parties.
“Ang dami pong loopholes sa kwentong ito,” she said.
Davila has been vocal about her support for Navarro, as seen in her Twitter posts to her more than one million followers.
***
Managing of Gramercy was so busy, it seems, controlling Unit Owners taking pictures and having their doors shut other problems have been allowed entry. See the link in the update at the following page:
Recall our problem and the whole story not just the dramatic ending:
Mainly about the elevators but also touches upon the security issue at Gramercy:
"Ok, i just returned from the outside to my condo here in the gramercy and i have
noticed several things... During the day there are quite a bit of people going
in and out which certainly have jammed the elevators. These are mainly outside
agents trying to show people about the place. I dont know to what extent the
security is doing. I know they cant go up without a visitors pass and surrender
their ID at the concierge but beyond that there are no security checks. So it
would certainly not surprise me about the drug bust here in this building as
there are no security checks on the things that you bring in.
Second is that at the evening time, the 71Gramercy is already open. Now the two of the four elevators of the high zone are being used for this and this really irritates me as this delays the residents from getting to their residences. There is someone that mans the elevator during this time. They have to wait on these customers and now keep us on the back burner which just irritates me. The employee that manned the elevator also stated his frustrations. The two of the four elevators are now being switched to manual mode of which the operator has to operate otherwise the door wont even close automatically unless you press and hold it down.
The restobar is privately owned and not by century city so forget about discounts to residents.
My question is this... These employees that man the outside for incoming customers of the 71Gramercy as well as the elevator operators and who knows what else, AND the operating cost of these elevators, are these employees and operating costs being paid also by our association dues? I certainly hope NOT! I should certainly ask management about this... Hopefully i will get some answers and update you guys... "
Second is that at the evening time, the 71Gramercy is already open. Now the two of the four elevators of the high zone are being used for this and this really irritates me as this delays the residents from getting to their residences. There is someone that mans the elevator during this time. They have to wait on these customers and now keep us on the back burner which just irritates me. The employee that manned the elevator also stated his frustrations. The two of the four elevators are now being switched to manual mode of which the operator has to operate otherwise the door wont even close automatically unless you press and hold it down.
The restobar is privately owned and not by century city so forget about discounts to residents.
My question is this... These employees that man the outside for incoming customers of the 71Gramercy as well as the elevator operators and who knows what else, AND the operating cost of these elevators, are these employees and operating costs being paid also by our association dues? I certainly hope NOT! I should certainly ask management about this... Hopefully i will get some answers and update you guys... "
I had written a similar comment to some Unit Owners at Gramercy:
I was told about an elevator(s) that goes to a club in Gramercy. Is it or are they dedicated to that club? If so, who pays for electric, insurance and ALL other associated costs for the operation of the elevator(s)? Our elevators have not been conveyed to the condominium corporation though the condominium corporation has been paying for much of the cost of operation such as electric and insurance. There are many financial details such as this that need investigation in all buildings. Even if the elevator(s) is not dedicated are the associated costs for the percentage handling the club being paid by the club?
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