MAYOR Mauricio Domogan has called on parents of members of "Hypebeast" group and their alleged victims to cooperate with the police.
Domogan said the Baguio City Police Office is still having problems getting the victims to cooperate. The parents have also reportedly opted not to take part in the investigations.
The mayor said another case of mauling and bullying has been reported in the Aurora Hill area.
The group has been likened to a gang terrorizing children in the city with reports of mauling and bullying at the Central Business District.
Councilor Francisco Roberto Ortega VI has called for an inquiry with the police , Federico Martin of the Department of Education Baguio Schools Division and Annie Marie Caguioa, president of the Association of Private Schools Administrators Baguio City Chapter.
“As the chairman on the committee on peace and order and public safety, it is my duty to ensure safety of our constituents. People came in my office to raise their issues concerning this group (hypebeast). And I enact measures to address this issue. It is a joint action together with the BCPO, the barangay and our constituents,” Ortega said.
Ortega added the issue has merited the attention of the council.
“The main purpose is to address and act immediately on these issues concerning minors who are involved with this kind of incident. Also to ensure the existence of CCTV cameras within the crime prone areas, because we can rely and depend on this device to ensure that every act will be recorded accordingly, it is a timely issue so we need to act on it instantly,” added Ortega.
Domogan implored parents to monitor their children. He said the issue is not only the concern of the police but also that of the parents.
“Look at what your children are doing,” added the mayor.
Hypebeast is an urban slang that refers to “a kid that collects clothing, shoes, and accessories for the sole purpose of impressing others. Although the individual may not have a dime to their name they like to front like they are making far more than everybody else. Equipped with mommy’s credit card the Hype Beast will try his hardest to make sure he has every pair of Nike’s he saw Jay-Z wearing on 106 & Park."
Unconfirmed reports say the modus of the group targets victims who do not wear the same brand of clothing as they do.