By: Julit C. Jainar, Cebu Daily News
THERE were no more minors seen loitering past curfew time or past 10 p.m. of Friday and until 4 a.m. Saturday, a day after police rounded up 55 minors for violating the curfew ordinance in Mandaue City.
Senior Supt. Jonathan Cabal, Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) chief, said they have not apprehended any minor violating the curfew on the second day of the operation, which started last Thursday.
“Yung result ng ating second day is that wala silang nahuli yung mga police stations natin na nagroroving for the rescue of minors. Normal yung situation hopefully maging ganun yong trend (On the second day of the operation, our police stations who assigned policemen to patrol their areas of jurisdiction, have not rescued any minor, who violated the curfew ordinance. Hopefully, this trend will continue),” Cabal said in an interview yesterday.
Cabal said the result of the operation on Friday somehow showed the [children and parents’] adherence to the ordinance and at the same time, this also made the parents aware of the ordinance.
“Syempre mapapahiya din naman sila. At the same time, siguro, the city council will pass measures to the effect that parents will be held accountable in case yung delinquency rate mabilis na,” Cabal said.
He also said that it will take at least a month to assess whether the operation is effective or not.
Pureza Tabuac, social worker of Mandaue City Social Welfare and Development Office (MCSWDO), confirmed that there were no more minors seen loitering in Mandaue’s streets past curfew.
“When the kids were briefed, I told them that the curfew will be implemented all throughout the year, mao siguro walay nadala ang police nahadlok siguro (that is perhaps the reason the police didn’t see any minors on the streets yesterday. The kids may have been scared of getting caught again),” Tabuac said.
Bobby, the boy from the Badjao community in Barangay Mambaling in Cebu City, who was among the 55 minors rounded up on Thursday night, has already been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City late Thursday afternoon.
She said all minors who were rounded up on Thursday night have been released.
She said before the minors were released, parents were oriented on the curfew ordinance, which was amended on 2011.
First offenders of the curfew ordinance will receive a warning.
The parents will be fined P200 for minors apprehended the second time while parents of minors apprehended for the third time will be fined P500 with one day of community service.
