Makati curfew violators apprehended

A total of 249 minors were caught by police operatives for violating the curfew on minors imposed by the city government, Makati City police chief Superintendent Jovito Gutierrez said in a report to Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Records showed 174 minors were apprehended from November to December 2001, and 75 for January this year.

The minors were apprehended in Barangays Tejeros, Guadalupe Nuevo and Palanan.

They were first time offenders and were released the following morning.

Based on the new procedures, the parents of the violators were fetched from their homes, and together with their children were detained overnight while being lectured and warned against further violations.

First enacted in 1964 as Municipal Ordinance No. 27, the measure prohibits minors 18 years and below from being on the streets starting from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning.

Violators are held in barangay halls or in police stations. Parents or legal guardians are likewise held liable since they have responsibility over their wards who are minors.

Police stepped up the campaign after seven minors were caught in Barangay Palanan for staging a rumble, causing panic among the residents in the area.

The apprehended minors were caught by police operatives after residents complained of a commotion along Dayap corner Ibarra Streets where a pillbox was thrown by one of the rioters.

The minors were detained at Police Precinct 5.