Guards wielding M16, bats ‘relieved of post’ at Market Market

MANILA, Philippines – Twenty-four hours after they wielded M-16s and baseball bats at the Market! Market! food court in Taguig City, the two guards have been relieved of their post, an Ayala Malls spokesperson told Rappler.

In an incident first reported on Rappler, a security guard attempted to disperse a melee near midnight on Saturday evening, December 6, in an area of the mall grounds known for late night drinking. 

In the process, a guard drew an M-16 military standard weapon on the crowd before pointing a baseball bat at patrons. Another guard attempted to take this reporter’s cellphone as I recorded the incident and said, “Your reporting is not welcome here” while holding a baseball bat.

(RELATED: M-16s, baseball bats and heavy-handed security at Market Market)

An Ayala Malls spokesperson told Rappler that they conducted a “thorough investigation,” citing Rappler’s first-person report and CCTV footage in drawing their conclusion.

“[The incident] was reported to us right away. We immediately coordinated with our security agency regarding the matter. The two guards involved in the incident were relieved from their posts already. They’re no longer reporting with Market! Market! as we speak,” said Sherlene Cruz, center manager at Market! Market!

“This is the first time that this has happened in Market! Market! In our security, we really don’t tolerate those kinds of behavior, so that’s why they were already immediately relieved from their posts,” Cruz said.

The spokesperson gave assurances that there is no policy which prohibits working reporters from covering incidents, adding that the presence of military grade weapons was “more for appearance.”

The spokesperson detailed what precipitated the incident, saying there was a fight and that patrons didn’t initially respond to attempts to break it up. 

“Some other customers were jeering at him, making fun of him. I guess that’s what triggered him to pull out his weapon. In any case, that’s not the right thing to do and he should’ve called the other security members to help him out in the situation.”

The names of the two guards were not immediately made available, but the management said it could provide the names later.

“We also want to assure our public that Market! Market! is a safe place to be in being part of BGC (Bonifacio Global City) and being part of the Ayala Malls group.” – Rappler.com

Ryan Songalia is the sports editor of Rappler, a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and a contributor to The Ring magazine. He can be reached at ryan.songalia@rappler.com. Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.