CLOTHES you buy for your kids could compromise their safety.
Baguio City Police Office Director Ramil Saculles gave this warning to parents, as he faced the City Council during Monday’s (February 12) regular session with school heads from the private and public institutions on the prevalence of hypebeast groups.
Saculles said the hypebeast phenomenon starts when kids buy branded clothes, which should be submitted to the group’s leader and be sold within the group as a way of membership.
He said the hypebeast group in Manila is composed of fashion loving people, but in Baguio, there are incidents of violence and bullying.
Saculles said violence starts when kids not included in the group start to wear the same brand of clothes without the consent of the group.
A mauling incident on January 24 has trigged the alarm over the group’s modus, getting the attention the City Council.
Federico Martin, Department of Education Baguio Schools Division superintendent, and Marlon Angaga, president of the Association of Private Schools Administrators Baguio City Chapter, were present in Monday’s session. They confirmed the incidents in the city.
Angaga said parents will be informed of the issues to be able to properly guide their children while ongoing interventions have been implemented in schools.
Martin said the system to disband hypebeast has been put into place and is now moving to address the problem.
He said data on clothing type, leaders and modus are in his office since the January 24 incident.
Intervention has also been put into place for parents and students with counseling and monitoring of children.
Police records show there are 73 members of hypebeast from Baguio City National High School, while Pines has 49.
The group is known to frequent the areas of Insular Life area, the city hall flagpole, Mines View, Rose Garden, Camp John Hay and Panagbenga Park.
Saculles said most members of the group are minors.
He added that engagement of children in groups has been made by police.