Village officials urged to strictly implement curfew
A stricter and strengthened implementation of the ordinance providing for a curfew for minors is seen as among the solutions to the problem of minors being recruited by gangs.
Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak is urging barangay officials to strictly implement the curfew ordinance especially after nine minors, caught smoking marijuana, were rescued by tanods of Barangay Apas over the weekend.
The minors, aged 9 to 15 years old, claimed to be members of a gang in the barangay.
“It is very important to implement curfews in our barangays. Sadly, some barangay officials do not implement consistently,” Tumulak added.
“Dili lang ni Barangay Apas, daghan pa nga mga barangay ang naay ingon niini. Depende na sa atong mga barangay officials nga manghingusug gyod sila sa pag-rescue aning mga minors,” said Tumulak.
(It’s not only in Barangay Apas. There are a lot of other barangays where gangs exist. It depends on the barangay officials to exert effort at rescuing these minors.)
Tumulak also urged parents to be watchful of their children to ensure that they do not get recruited by these groups of young gangsters.
“Mo-support ra man ni atong mga barangay tanods and policemen nga maluwas ang atong mga kabataan sa dautan nga mga buhat diha sa gawas,” said Tumulak.
(Our tanods and policemen are only here to support and help save our youth from the evils outside their homes.)
Under the existing curfew ordinance, all minors are not allowed to be out on the streets from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña emphasized that gangs, especially involving minors, should be controlled by the barangay tanods.
“But how can we ask the tanods to control that when we can’t even pay their allowances on time?” Osmeña said.
Osmeña said the children may only need an outlet to release their energy without getting themselves in trouble.
“It’s giving them an alternative. A lot of these things are because they are young and they are restless and they all have to do something,” said Osmeña.
Osmeña cited opening more libraries that can be accessed by the children as a way to divert them from joining these groups.
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