CCPO to Cebu City Govt: Impose stiffer penalties for mendicancy

Cebu City’s PROBE Team and Market Operations Division in coordination with Police Station 5 conduct an early Monday morning rescue of those who were sleeping under the Forbes Bridge in Barangay Ermita. The rescue was in compliance with the order of Mayor Edgardo Labella. | Photo courtesy of MOD Cebu City

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is recommending to the city government to impose stiffer penalties on violators of the anti-mendicancy law.

This developed after the police, together with enforcers from the city’s Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (PROBE) team, rescued dozens of street dwellers found staying on the roadsides in Barangay Ermita on Monday, December 14.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of CCPO, said they intensified their operations against mendicants considering that Simbang Gabi and Misa de Gallo were drawing near.

“We rescue street dwellers on a daily basis, in coordination with the City Hall’s PROBE team but now, we have to intensify our efforts especially with Simbang Gabi drawing near, people are expected to go out of their houses at dawn,” said Parilla in Cebuano.

He also told reporters on Monday that they already made a recommendation before the city council to imprison violators of the anti-mendicancy law if it meant discouraging individuals from sleeping on the streets.

“Since it’s logical to assume these street dwellers cannot pay any fines, we suggested to the council to imprison those who continue to violate the city’s anti-mendicancy law,” Parilla said.

This stemmed from police’s findings that most of the street dwellers they rescued happened to have homes in Cebu City. /dbs

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