A TASK force has been created to monitor the South Road Properties (SRP) following an incident in which minors threw stones at vehicles passing on the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) viaduct.
Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has ordered the creation of a multi-agency task force to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The group is composed of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), Department of Public Services, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Cebu Port Authority, and Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Other members of the task force are the City Market Office, Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) team, Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), SRP Management Office, Bantay Dagat Commission, City Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (Ceset), Cebu City Police Office Stations 5 and 6, and Barangays Ermita, Pasil, and Suba.
Garcia, according to the Cebu City Public Information Office’s Facebook post, ordered a 24/7 watch at the SRP viaduct.
The PCG and Bantay Dagat Commission were tasked to apprehend individuals jumping from the viaduct into the sea.
Barangay tanods from Ermita, Pasil, and Suba were assigned the responsibility of preventing children from climbing up to the viaduct from the sea.
A group chat will also be created to facilitate rapid communication and response in case any untoward behavior is observed on the SRP bridge.
Several videos circulated online showing individuals climbing the viaduct and throwing stones at passing vehicles last Maundy Thursday, April 17.
According to reports, the individuals would jump into the sea and swim to shore to avoid apprehension.
“I hope this incident will not happen again. It poses a risk not only to the vehicles that go, but also to the motorists,” said Garcia during the flag raising ceremony on Monday, April 21.
Garcia, in a press conference on Monday, said the DSWS identified the minors involved, and that they will talk to the parents.
“It would be best to summon the parents to let them know the gravity of their son’s offense, and hopefully, the parents will cooperate with the government in disciplining their children so that they won’t do things like that again,” said Garcia.
CCTO head Raquel Arce, in a separate interview, said her team had cut a rope tied to the viaduct’s side, removing all access.
Arce said that the responsibility falls on the minors’ parents, adding a case could be filed for parental negligence.
“These are truly your responsibilities, don’t let another person be the one to discipline your child... if necessary, we will really be forced to discipline, then we will also file a case against you for your negligence of your responsibility towards your children,” Arce said.
Arce also urged motorists to remain vigilant and use social media to report to authorities. / JPS