The Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) has instituted a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for minors aged 18 and below to enhance safety measures.
Executive Order (EO) No. 41, series of 2024, issued by Mayor Al David T. Uy on June 27, 2024, mandates that minors must remain indoors during these hours to prevent accidents and other nighttime risks.
The EO stipulates that minors may only venture outside their homes if accompanied by parents or guardians, or during emergencies such as fires, calamities, disasters, or life-saving situations.
Additionally, this applies to minors who are working or attending classes, and when they are returning directly home from school, religious activities, or civic engagements under adult supervision without any detours or stops.
According to the EO, parents or guardians must ensure that minors are at home before curfew.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and barangay officials within each barangay are responsible for enforcing the EO, under Republic Act (RA) No. 9344, also known as the Juvenile Justice Act of 2006.
EO violators will face penalties as stipulated in City Ordinance No. 1999-09, titled “An ordinance imposing curfew hours for minors in public places in the Island Garden City of Samal.”
On June 23, 2024, two minors aged 15 and 16 were fatally shot at a computer shop in Purok 3, Barangay Camudmud, Babak District, around 9:40 p.m. The assailants, riding a motorcycle, remain unidentified.
Police authorities have launched a pursuit operation on the island to apprehend the suspects, and investigations into the incident are ongoing. RGP with reports from Dexter T. Visitacion