Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Councilor wants gangs to stop recruiting minors
IN the wake of gang and fraternity related deaths and crimes in the city, a Cebu City councilor wants to prohibit fraternities and gangs from recruiting members who are minors.
Councilor Sylan Jako-salem said inculcating certain values among children should be left to the parents and teachers, not the fraternities and gangs.
Last Sunday, two teen-aged gang members were gunned down just an hour after being questioned on an earlier shooting incident.
Police have yet to determine if the killings in Barangay Quiot, Cebu City are gang-related.
Fed up
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patroci-nio Comendador said the team investigating the case is checking if the victims were killed by people who were fed up with the “shady activities” of John Rey Genosas, 14, and Roel Batuto, 17.
Genosas and Batuto were killed while on board a tricycle along E. Sabellano St., Quiot last Sunday afternoon.
The two died of gunshot wounds in the head. The killing was carried out by two men on a motorcycle.
Comendador has directed Senior Insp. Aureo Sanchez of the Pardo Police Station to increase police presence in his area.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said that if the killings are gang-related, the City Government will offer P50,000 for the capture of the assailants.
Stigma
He warned police not to stigmatize gangs because of the killings.
“We do not want to run after groups, we ran after criminals,” he said.
In a proposed ordinance that he will file later this week, Jakosalem seeks to impose up to P5,000 in fines on or imprisonment for officers of fraternities who will be found to have members who are younger than 18.
The proposed measure will be similar to an ordinance of Marikina City, which was passed earlier this month. It will cover all fraternities and sororities within and outside educational institutions.
Policies
Jakosalem said he will consult other councilors on how they can impose the same policies on gangs that are not considered legitimate institutions, or those not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
“I’m sure the fraternities will object to this but it’s the right thing to do, considering the level of violence and crimes that some fraternity members have been involved in,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Jakosalem believes involvement in fraternities requires a certain level of maturity and education, which minors do not possess yet.
Minors, he said, are still vulnerable to manipulation by fraternity leaders.
“With the minors’ level of maturity, the values they have at such a young age are still at a level that can be manipulated. It’s up to the teachers and the parents to instill values in the children. It should not come from the fraternities,” he said.
The proposed ordinance, if approved, will also help counter the effects of the Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, such as the reported participation of children in illegal activities, Jakosalem said.
Law enforcers have earlier said that minors, some of whom are members of gangs and fraternities, are easily lured into the illegal drugs trade and other crimes because of RA 9344, which exempts law offenders below 15 years old from serving time in prison. (LCR/RHM/JST)
