THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) continues to rescue minors who violate the 10 p.m. curfew.
From Friday night, August 12, 2022, to dawn Sunday, August 14, police rounded up a total of 55 minors. The number dropped to 17 by Sunday morning, but that was only because it rained the night before and the minors were probably forced to stay indoors, police said.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, information officer of the CCPO, they will not stop conducting rescue operations as long as there are minors who loiter in the streets late at night and in the wee hours of the morning.
However, the minors won’t be fined or imprisoned. They will instead be turned over to their respective barangays, she said.
Macatangay urged parents to make sure their children are at home once the curfew starts so they won’t be picked up by roving patrol cars. Also, if the minors are indoors, they will be protected from harm, she said.
“In line with this one, we are still appealing to the public to cooperate. Cooperate lang ta sa atong mga (and abide by the) city ordinances nga gipatuman (that are implemented) here in Cebu City as well as our existing laws. Anyway, at the end of the day, isa ra ang atong katuyoan tanan, nga magpuyo ta sa malinawon ug luwas nga komunidad (we only have a common goal and that is to live in a safe and peaceful community),” she said.
Meanwhile, Macatangay announced that the CCPO will re-launch Oplan Pakigsandurot in the barangays.
The program, which also aims to educate the public about the ongoing illegal drugs problem, encourages police and tanods to work hand in hand to monitor illegal activities in their respective barangays.
The program also hopes to bring police and the public closer together, she said. (AYB, PJB)