BACOLOD City Administrator John Orola ordered the General Services Office (GSO) to enforce discipline and peace and order at the public plaza to eliminate the commercial sex workers (CSWs) in the area.
Orola said he was informed that CSWs are still in the area and some of them were also involved in theft incidents.
He said the peace and order committee should address this problem at the public plaza to ensure the safety of the revelers in the area.
“We will continue to be vigilant on these to stop them from loitering not only in public plaza but also in other areas of Bacolod,” he added.
Orola noted that the GSO and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) were tasked to maintain the peace and order at the public plaza.
The Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) and the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) had earlier intensified its campaign against CSWs to stop them from loitering around the city.
This, after some business establishment owners filed complaints that CSWs are staying within their premises or building.
DSSD head Pacita Tero earlier said that most of the CSWs are staying in bars and videoke houses, especially along Goldenfield Commercial Complex and public plaza to wait for customers.
She said they are studying what they could give or offer them to stop this kind of work or business.
She added they are also monitoring the presence of pimps for possible exploitation of women and minors.
In previous years, several CSWs in Bacolod were arrested and examined for sexually transmitted diseases (STD).