First case of its kind: City court convicts woman for mendicancy law violation

The filing of the charge and its ruling was so swift for a first case of a kind when Municipal Trial Court in Cities executive judge Francisco Seville yesterday convicted a 50-year-old woman for violation of City Ordinance 1631, or the Anti-mendicancy Law.

Divina Verba, of Minganilla town, was arrested last October 31 at Fuente Osmeña for soliciting funds but it was found out that this was for a non-existent organization. A case was filed against her yesterday and, shortly after, she was found guilty for violating the ordinance.

The ruling was the first time the city court sentenced and convicted somebody for violating the ordinance, according to councilor Gerardo Carillo, who heads the city's anti-mendicancy task force.

"This is the first of its kind and I hope this will serve a lesson especially to those who will be used fictitious letter asking donations to establishment," Carillo said.

Judge Seville ordered Verba to pay a fine of P200 and did not sentence her to imprisonment because she entered a guilty plea to the charge.

Under the law's penal clause, violators of the city ordinance will be meted with 3- to 4-month imprisonment and fine, Carillo said.

He added, "The next time dunay among nadakpan dili na gyud anti-mendicancy law kun di estafa gyud or swindling among ipasaka batok nila."

Members of the City Police anti-mendicancy task force, headed by SPO2 Celestino Alvarez, arrested Verba at an area of a private hospital near Fuente Osmeña, distributing solicitation letters to some establishments.

Verba's solicitation letter has a letterhead Psalms of David-Harmonic Orchestra, which carried music themes that were against drugs.

Verba's letter claimed it came from a non-government organization based in Iloilo City, and signed by a certain Rochie Dimagnaong. It further solicited the corresponding amounts of P500, P250, P100, P50 and P20.

Carillo said that, upon verification, authorities found out that the NGO and its contact numbers were non-existent, prompting the task force to arrest Verba. - Ramil V. Ayuman/RAE