No curfew before Sept. 21

So as not to reopen old wounds, the Manila City Council-approved curfew on minors should be implemented only after Sept. 21, the day the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared martial rule 30 years ago.

"I’ll postpone the implementation until after the anniversary of martial law to prevent any misinterpretation," Atienza said.

The other day, the Manila City Council approved on third and final reading the ordinance that imposes curfew on minors 18 years and below from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the six districts of the country’s capital.

But before signing it into law, Atienza said he wants the city council to fine-tune the ordinance.

Among the "revisions" being sought by Atienza concerns the age bracket covered by the curfew. He said the curfew should cover people who are 17 years old and below, since an 18-year old is no longer a minor and already has a right to vote.

The mayor also wants to lift the curfew on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays so as not to affect Manila’s commercial establishments patronized by the youth at night.

He said that the curfew should be implemented by barangay officials and not the police to avoid abuses.

"Overall, the objective of the ordinance is good. It wants to protect kids from criminals and make their time at home productive," the mayor said.

Atienza has 30 days to sign or veto the law, otherwise the approved ordinance would lapse into law, meaning with or without the mayor’s signature, the law can be implemented.

Atienza has indicated his intention to sign the ordinance after some "line amendments."

Councilor Julio Logarta Jr. of the city’s 6th District, who authored the ordinance, assured the public that it would be "the best curfew ordinance in the land."

"We will be tapping officials from the 897 barangays in the city to do the job. We want to take good care of the children, we don’t want them to be abused by erring policemen," he added.

Minors, who are with their parents or guardians would be exempted from the curfew, while anyone wishing to go out in case of emergency should secure authorization from their parents or the barangay chairman. – Cecille Suerte Felipe