15 arrested as curfew on minors reactivated

CEBU, Philippines - With the reactivation of the curfew on minors ordinance, at least 15 minors were arrested by barangay tanods of San Roque, Talisay City last Monday night.

Although the city has not lifted the implementation of the curfew ordinance, it has not been strictly enforced in most barangays.

But in San Roque, Councilman Rafael Chan, who is chairman on barangay council committee on Women and Children's Welfare, said that last week, with the re-organization of the Sangguniang Kabataan, minors seen loitering in streets at past 10 p.m. since last week had been arrested.

Last Saturday, the barangay arrested five, and another five the following day.

Chan said most of those arrested so far were out-of-school youth with their own groups from the neighboring barangay Tangke.

He said some of the crimes committed in their village were perpetuated by minors, hence they have strengthened the city's curfew law.

The curfew ordinance was reimplemented in 2008 following the increase of crimes involving minors.

While the ordinance was strictly enforced, many minors were caught, and temporarily placed at the Talisay City Sports Complex in barangay Poblacion to wait for a verdict, which, under the law, the verdict is either parents pay the corresponding penalty or the minors do some community work.

However, once in a while, enforcers of the ordinance relax and minors immediately take advantage of the leniency.

In the past years, when incidents involving minors in prostitution, illegal drugs, and other crimes rose, the city moved quickly to reactivate the ordinance. — (FREEMAN)