LAW enforcement apprehended 19 children around Iloilo City in a recent saturation drive from 9 p.m. on October 20, 2023, until 12:30 a.m. on October 21, 2023.
The operation aimed to enforce curfew regulations for minors, and the apprehensions were made in different areas of the seven districts of the city, including Molo, Mandurriao, and the City Proper.
In Molo District, five male minors aged 14 to 15 were apprehended at computer shops in Barangays Taal and Boulevard.
In Mandurriao District, three minors, including two females aged nine and eight and one four-year-old male, were found selling handicrafts along the streets of Bolilao. They were accompanied by their mothers, from Valderama, Antique, and are currently residing in Barangay San Pedro, Molo.
Two minors, a 16-year-old male and an eight-year-old female, were found accompanying their older sibling while selling food on the sidewalk at Paseo, Diversion Road.
In City Proper District, seven minors, five females and two males, were apprehended in Barangay Tanza Timawa II. The females were from Barangay San Juan, Molo. Two male minors, aged 15 and 16, were apprehended from Barangay Duran.
All apprehended minors underwent a profiling process through an intake interview and were subsequently turned over to their respective families.
A brief conference with their parents or guardians was held to reinforce the importance of curfew compliance and their parental responsibilities regarding their minor children.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, in a memo on October 17, 2023, directed the barangay tanods, barangay captains, the Iloilo City Police Office, the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office, the Task Force on Moral Values, the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and force multipliers to ensure strict adherence to the curfew regulations.
This saturation drive is part of continuing efforts in Arevalo, City Proper, Jaro, La Paz, Lapuz, Mandurriao, and Molo districts in Iloilo City to safeguard public safety and guarantee children are protected and properly supervised during curfew hours. <b>(SunStar Philippines)</b>