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Monday, August 27, 2007
7 p.m. curfew for Baguio minors extended
By Rimaliza Opiña and Aileen Refuerzo
BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. has extended the 7 p.m. curfew for minors after receiving favorable feedback regarding its experimental implementation.
Bautista’s Executive Order (EO) 4 would be implemented until the same is made permanent through Council legislation.
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"In order to continue the imposition of the curfew for minors pending the passage of the amendatory ordinance, which needs to pass through the legislative process and with the support gained from by the (order) from various sectors of society, there is a need to extend its implementation," the mayor noted.
A proposed amendatory ordinance authored by Councilor Nicasio Aliping Jr. to amend Ordinance 71-1991 to accommodate the expanded curfew was already passed on first reading at the City Council. Ordinance 71 provides curfew for minors from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day.
Bautista said the decision to adopt the expanded curfew for minors on a permanent basis was made based on the positive feedback the experimental policy elicited from the community.
He said the parents and school authorities themselves support the new curfew policy while the Baguio police vouched that juvenile crimes indeed decreased since the experiment was done.
Before the experimental curfew was implemented, the city was besieged with rising cases of gang wars.
In his new order, Bautista included two additional exemptions to the policy:
Incidents where minors are involved in church and religious activities but provided that they can show valid certification from the heads or leaders of their religious organizations that they are indeed members of said groups or certifications "stating that the scheduled activities do not permit them to go home before the curfew period established, or that said undertaking requires them to stay out of their residences within said curfew period
The second exemption includes activities sanctioned by school administrations that are scheduled within the curfew period involving, among others, minors aged below 18 years old.
However, these activities will need prior exemption from the Office of the Mayor through a letter signed by the person-in-charge of the activity and noted by the dean or principal of said school.
Bautista's first order exempts minors who are in the company of their parents or guardians, minors who have valid certification from their deans or principals that their class schedules are beyond 7 p.m., proofs of identification and enrolment.
Alarmed also by the reported recruitment of students by gang members, it was proposed that policemen in civilian clothes be deployed to various campuses to prevent the entry of outsiders.
Among other measures that Bautista issued to maintain peace and order in Baguio is the time limit on the serving of liquor, operation kapkap (frisking) and the noise curfew. (Sun.Star Baguio)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (August 27, 2007 issue)
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