Zafra: Probe parents  of minors in viral video

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Philip Zafra wants parents of the children who were seen sniffing solvent inside a public jeepney to face an investigation for possible negligence.

Zafra, chairman of the committee on peace and order in the City Council, said the police and the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) have been tasked to identify the minors and locate their parents.

A video is now making rounds on social media showing a group of children sniffing a plastic pouch believed to contain rugby inside a jeepney going to the Santo Nino Church in downtown Cebu City.

“Akong gusto nga ang mga ginikanan gyud ang imbestigaron, ang pangutan-on nganong na ingon ato to nga  sa kalinghod sa pangidaron nganong napasagdan man ang mga anak,” said Zafra.

According to Zafra, he was saddened by the sight that until now a number of minors are still hook in volatile substance.

“Maayo unta kung nanginabuhi sad ang ginikanan nya natigam-an or ni ipsot lang pero kung ang ginikanan sige lang sa’g sugal, sige lang sad og marites…” he added.

Zafra said the circumstance should be investigated thoroughly, adding that it is no longer a problem of the government and law enforcement alone. He said the problem needs an intervention from the parents and the private sector.

He said it’s about time that such activities will be keenly looked into adding that this has been among the things that the city government was checking on a week prior. Citing records from the anti-mendicancy board, Zafra said most of their rescued children were not from Cebu City but from the province.

“So ako silang giingnan nga inig hatod nato didto kinahanglang naa tay arrangement or MOA perhaps with the LGU or the municipalities kung diin ni sila lumulopyo,” said Zafra.

This is to assure that these children will be provided with the appropriate care and will no longer return to the city.

Zafra also encourages the investors to pour out their resources in other municipalities to give better options for the people in the countryside.  This way, Zafra believes, the people from the province will no longer come to the city only to become homeless and live in the streets.

“So hopefully kaning mga LGUs outside Cebu City naa say mga investors nga moinvest didto aron adto nalang na sila manginabuhi didto, usa na sa butang nga atong gitan-aw,” Zafra said.

To make this happen, a close coordination among the LGUs is necessary.

As of this writing, the children in the viral video are yet to be rescued as this needs a specialized approach under the juvenile law and the anti-mendicancy law.

Zafra said the city government is now coordinating with the stores or hardware owners to avoid selling solvents to minors.

“Dugay na ning problemaha, kailangan na ni mapangitaan og tuldok,” he said. — (FREEMAN)