MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has apologized for lapses in enforcing the “Safer Cities” initiative targeting drunks and shirtless men on the streets.
“I apologize to the person in Barangay Addition Hills,” Remulla said yesterday, referring to a man who was apprehended and fined for going shirtless while mixing cement outside his house in Mandaluyong.
The campaign has drawn criticism from those who say the poor and the working class are being targeted by the government while ignoring the systemic corruption in the bureaucracy.
Launched last week, the “Safer Cities” campaign has recorded 6,708 ordinance violators in Metro Manila.
Of the number, 3,943 people were either warned or released, 2,584 were fined and 181 were charged.
Aside from drunks and shirtless men, police are rounding up smokers in public spaces, minors violating curfew and late-night karaoke singers.
“Because of the lack of clear guidance, anyone without a shirt was picked up. That was wrong. We made a mistake and I take full responsibility,” Remulla said, adding that he would visit the Mandaluyong resident to personally apologize.
Workers and residents engaged in legitimate activities should be given consideration, Remulla said, adding that the policy targets loitering and disorderly conduct in public spaces.
“The campaign will continue. We will provide better information to both residents and the police,” he said.
A command conference will be held to clarify enforcement limits, Remulla said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government will assess the program’s effectiveness by comparing crime data from April 2024 and 2025 with this year’s figures, according to Remulla.
New measures and upgrades to the campaign will be rolled out in the coming weeks, he said.