Labella wants barangay officials to do their share

Street carolers sing Christmas songs to public utility jeepney (PUJ) passengers hoping to receive some loose change to save up for Christmas. However, the Cebu City Government has prohibited this practice to protect the welfare and safety of the young street carolers.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

CAMPAIGN VS KID CAROLERS

It’s time to do your share.

Now that the local police have started clearing the streets of child carolers, Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella urged barangay officials to do their part.

Labella called on barangay officials to reinforce the city ordinance that prohibits children to do caroling in the streets, which was passed and enacted in 2011.

“Officials from the barangays where street kid carolers are frequently found should also be active on implementing our ordinance,” said Labella.

“Aside from utilizing our barangay tanods, I suggest barangay officials to connect with the parents of the children who roam in their respective communities, so the parents, too, can remind their own children,” he added.

But Labella said that instead of arresting street children, he suggested to law enforcers, both from the police and the barangays, to refer the rescued kids to concerned government agencies.

“These are street children. Instead of arresting them, they must be rescued if they cannot be returned to their relatives,” he said.

City ordinance

City Ordinance No. 1931, or the anti-mendicancy law, was amended in 2011 to ban caroling in the streets.

It imposes a P500 fine or imprisonment of at most five days on those caught caroling on city streets and inside PUJs.

An option is for the arrested violator to render eight hours of community service or any of the three penalties or upon the discretion of the court.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will continue to monitor and rescue minors roaming on the streets.

Chief Insp. Arieza Otida, CCPO public information officer, said that the Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) will be the one to monitor the rescued children.

The CCPO, she said, will also provide the rescued street kid carolers with programs under their wellness drop-in center.

“Plano nato ibutang sila (the children) for a program para matutukan unsay panginahanglanun aning mga bataa,” added Otida.

(We plan to include the kids in our programs so we can focus on their needs)

She added that they are also planning to come up with programs designed for the parents of the rescued children and to include these parents in seminars so that they will be constantly reminded of their basic responsibilities as parents.

Otida also believes that parents are partly to be blamed why their kids are on the streets hence the need for programs that should cater to both parents and children.