CEBU City Councilor Dave Tumulak, called on the residents near the South Road Properties (SRP) to refrain from loitering on the sidewalks being repaired along the expressway.
Last Sunday, four minors aged 12-16 years old were rescued from the sidewalks near the SRP-Mambaling road, as they were rummaging among the concrete debris looking for metals to sell.
“Nagbuak-buak sila sa mga gibungkal nga semento unya delikado kaayo ni kay basin og makaigo sila sa mga motorista nga nangagi. (They were breaking up the cement debris looking for metal. This puts them in danger of being hit by passing vehicles),” Tumulak told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.
The four minors were claimed by their parents at the Mambaling Police Station. Police found out that their families lived in Sitio Alaska, Barangay Mambaling, near the SRP-Mambaling road.
“Pagdawat nako sa report gikan sa Facebook by a concerned citizen, akong gipatawag ang SRP police para tan-awn kung kinsa tong nag-standby sa sidewalk. Pag-adto nila, mga menor-de-edad man diay,” said Tumulak.
(When I received the report on Facebook from a concerned citizen, I called the SRP police to check who were loitering on the sidewalk. When the police arrived, they found out that the boys were minors.)
Tumulak urged the parents of the minors to discourage their children from going to this particular sidewalk to look for scrap metal since vehicles go as fast as 40 kph or more at the SRP.
“It’s simply not safe,” he added.
The video of the two minors at the SRP sidewalk went viral on Facebook with over 1,000 shares.
Tumulak expressed gratitude to the netizens for the swift reporting of the incident leading to the rescue of the children.
“It shows the concern of our people to their fellow men,” said Tumulak.
Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) Regional Director, Engineer Mario Montejo said, “I know that the area is well-barricaded but I will check on the area to see if the reports of vehicles getting hit by debris from the drilling is indeed true.”
He also said that he will call the attention of the Cebu City District Engineering Office to reassess the safety of the sidewalk construction.