INSTEAD of amending the curfew ordinance, its implementation should be intensified, a Baguio City councilor said.
During a recent media forum, Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda explained this in response to the prevailing curfew for Manila minors ordered by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.
“The curfew for minors in the city is even more stringent than the ordinance in Manila. The ordinance in Manila is 10 o’clock. In the city, it’s even earlier at 9 o’clock,” Tabanda said.
The City Council approved in 2017 an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 50, series of 2009, further amending Ordinance No. 271, series of 1995, otherwise known as the Baguio City Curfew Ordinance.
The ordinance, authored by Councilor Elaine Sembrano, stated the need for a curfew as a measure to protect children from crime, violence and harm. It also stated that children should not loiter, roam or play on the streets, roads, plazas, parks, internet shops or cafes, amusement or gaming facilities or other public places or establishments in the city between 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
“So what simply is needed is to intensify the implementation of the curfew ordinance, not only in central business district, but also in the barangays. Because the ordinance includes the barangays,” Tabanda added.
The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) records an average of six minors violating the curfew ordinance.
Based on observations, even with the prescribed curfew at around 7.p.m., minors continue to loiter, roam and play around internet cafes, parks and public places and are even wearing their school uniforms without being apprehended by concerned police and personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
Students have complained the 7 p.m. curfew for minors provided under existing ordinances is too early considering there are also some educational institutions that dismiss their afternoon classes close to the scheduled curfew.
The students are often apprehended by authorities on their way to the designated terminals of jeepneys to catch a ride home.