EDITORIAL — Things have to change

It would seem that many people still aren’t aware of, or simply don’t care, about the Safer Cities Initiative.

According to a report in this newspaper, a total of 1,499 violators were fined, while 1,667 were issued warnings during police operations conducted by the Cebu City Police Office from April 27 to May 3, in line with the enforcement of the initiative.

Remember that one? It’s the regulation issued by the DILG last month that prohibits drinking in public, being shirtless in public places, singing karaoke late into the night, and strictly enforces the curfew for minors long ignored by local authorities.

The same news report specifies that the police came across 415 cases of drinking in public places, 277 cases of smoking in public places, 391 incidents of roaming shirtless in public, 20 cases of karaoke operations beyond the allowed hours, and 606 curfew violations involving minors.

While we still take issue with accosting men without shirts --we insist they don’t present a threat to anyone, nor can they be considered eyesores-- we have to say that we have no issue with enforcing the other provisions of the initiative.

People shouldn’t be drinking in open spaces, or singing videoke past bedtime hours, and minors shouldn’t be out past their bedtime.

What makes it so hard to simply follow the rules?

Again, apart from the discrimination against shirtless men, we think the other prohibitions make sense. Drinking in open places --as opposed to drinking in establishments for such purpose or in the comfort of one’s own home-- can invite trouble. Singing karaoke late into the night disturbs the neighborhood’s peace.

Minors outside during the late hours risk exposure to criminals and criminal activity, or getting into accidents.

The strict enforcement of curfew could have saved at least one life. Remember that boy who got run over by a modern public utility jeepney in Barangay Luz late last month? We dare to say that he may be alive today had he stuck to curfew and not come out at 2 A.M. to play basketball.

We get it; drinking in public with friends, singing karaoke at night, and hanging out with buddies late into the night can now be considered part of our culture. But things have to change if we want to make our cities safer.