LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan has directed the police to strictly implement the curfew for minors following the recent robbery and mauling incidents in the city.
Chan issued the order on Tuesday night, Sept. 27, 2022, after three individuals, including two minors, were arrested Monday, Sept. 26, for allegedly stealing the earnings of a blind woman in two separate instances, the latest of which took place while she was reportedly selling candles near the church in Barangay Poblacion last Sunday evening.
The mayor also said that his office received a report of a mauling incident involving minors that recently occurred in Barangay Babag.
Chan’s order
Hours after Chan issued his order, personnel from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) rescued around 38 minors between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Sept. 28.
In a statement, Chan said he ordered police to round up and rescue the minors roaming around the city, particularly in the interior roads in different barangays within the curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
“I have also ordered our barangays to deploy their tanods (village watchmen) to conduct patrols every night. When it comes to security, we should implement zero tolerance,” Chan said in Cebuano.
In April this year, the Lapu-Lapu City Council approved Chan’s request to suspend the implementation of Ordinance 15-064-2020 after the city’s alert level status was deescalated from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 1.
The mayor stressed that there should be police visibility in public places in the city, particularly at night.
Some of the areas that need close monitoring include the plaza under the bridge, Muelle Osmeña, Mactan Economic Zone and Tamiya Philippines.
Col. Arnel Banzon, LCPO director, told SunStar Cebu that following the mayor’s order, they were able to rescue about 38 minors between 10 p.m. of Sept. 27 and 5 a.m. of Sept. 28.
After they were rescued, the minors were brought to their respective barangays where they reside.
Banzon said the parents of the minors will be summoned to the police stations where they will received a lecture on their responsibilities to their children.
Penalties
According to the city’s curfew ordinance, minors who are caught violating the curfew will be required to pay a fine of P1,000 (first offense), P2,500 (second offense), and P2,500 including prison time of not less than five days but not more than 20 days for the third offense.
For habitual offenders, a penalty will be imposed to the parents or guardians of the minor with a fine of P3,000 depending on the degree of the offense.
The penalty also increase by an additional P500 for every subsequent offense.