A 27-YEAR-OLD Japanese national lost his cell phone to four minors along Pope John Paul II Avenue in Cebu City last Friday dawn.
Takaya Watanabe told the police that the suspects, who remain at large, looked to be minors.
PO3 Glee Bumagat of the Cebu City Tourist Police, said Watanabe went to their office to report the incident that took place at dawn of Sept. 16.
Watanabe said he just walked outside Taft East Gate when the four suspects suddenly approached him. He said one of the suspects poked a gun at him.
Watanabe decided to hand over his Samsung Galaxy Note 3 cellular phone to the suspects who then ran away.
“Minors are not supposed to be on the streets at that time of the night,” said Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City police chief.
Doria called on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to help the police in implementing the city’s curfew ordinance. “We can’t conduct an operation without the DSWD and barangay officials,” he said.
The curfew ordinance prohibits minors below 18 years old from wandering, straying, sauntering, loitering, or rambling outside their homes within Cebu City between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Exemptions, however, are given to those coming home late after attending scholastic, educational, and religious activities. Those tasked to do errands like going to a hospital are also exempted from the ordinance.
Last month, the Cebu City government ordered the “strict” implementation of the curfew ordinance, in coordination with the police and barangay officials.