CEBU, Philippines - Enforcing a 1999 city ordinance setting a curfew for minors, the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) rescued at least 55 minors on Thursday night.
"We will be doing this on a regular basis. Not only in rounding them up, but in looking at their problems," said Superintendent Jonathan Cabal, chief of MCPO.
Police personnel gave the minors food and took their addresses.
"By 10 o'clock (p.m.), 'yung mga barangay cops natin, we made them go around sa mga barangay, sa mga sitio na lahat ng mga bata, wina-warn-ingan na nila. We will be implementing this curfew sa lahat ng kabataan. Especially 11 p.m. onwards until 4 a.m. 'Yun naman 'yung ordinance natin," Cabal said.
(By 10 p.m., we made our barangay cops go around their barangays and sitios to warn minors about the curfew. We will be implementing this curfew for all minors, especially 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. That is provided in our ordinance.)
The rescued minors, aged nine to 11 years old, were brought to the City Social Welfare Services and were informed of the curfew ordinance.
Cabal said some minors have been warned the night before and heeded the warning. Parents who went to MCPO to claim their children were reminded of the curfew ordinance.
Cabal said he plans to organize a family symposium to encourage parents to take good care of their children and keep minors off the streets during curfew hours.
"Masyadong loose 'yung nakikita kong parental control. Dahil kulang sa family values and then they might be involved syempre - petty thievery, 'yung mga delinquency. 'Yun 'yung mga nakikita ko sa kanila. May mga tattoo na sila, parang meron silang gang," Cabal said.
(Parental control is too loose. Family values are lacking. The minors might be involved in petty thievery and other delinquent acts. That's what I notice in them. They have tattoos, as if they are gang members.)
Cabal said he has long wanted to enforce the "Anti-Loitering for Minors in Mandaue" ordinance but the MCPO had been preoccupied with the Sinulog Festival and the International Eucharistic Congress early this year and the election period afterwards.
The MCPO chief said he wondered why the 17-year-old ordinance was not being implemented in the barangays.
He vowed to enforce the ordinance especially that President-elect Rodrigo Duterte is planning to implement a nationwide curfew for minors.
The police official also said that he will suggest to Mayor-elect Gabriel Luis Quisumbing that family symposiums be organized, after the latter takes his oath of office.
He said the MCPO will work with the CSWS during rescue operations.
"Dapat meron symbiotic relationship 'yung pulis, 'yung barangay and other stakeholders in molding our kids. So it will be best for us to really work closely together so that the synergy that will be generated will become a strong force to make a difference sa lives ng mga bata," Cabal said.