Children, obviously not belonging to the age groups allowed to go out at this time of the pandemic, play by the side of the road near the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino. | CDN Digital photo | Rick Gabuya
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Parents of erring children, who will be caught or rescued for the second time for violating health protocols or for staying outside their homes, will be penalized.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) deputy director for operations, said this after the COVID-19 cases involving minors in Cebu City had reportedly increased.
Parilla said they were still waiting for the guidelines and the specific penalties, which had yet to be finalized by Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
According to the data released by the EOC, the new COVID-19 cases they recorded on August 6 included 47 individuals, who were below 20 years old.
Of the 47 individuals, 19 of them are from the age range of newborn babies to 10 years old. The remaining 28 are from the 11 to 20 years old age group.
According to the EOC, these minors would be a concern for them because those 18 years old and below had not yet been included in the vaccination.
Parilla added that they had secured a list of those minors that they rescued who violated the health protocols in Cebu City.
He said that minors were not allowed to go outside since the city had also been placed under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
He also assured that should the EOC release the additional guidelines covering this rule on penalizing parents, then the police would strictly ensure that this would be observed.
For the last five days, the city policemen continue to apprehend violators, most of them fall for the failure to follow the curfew hours.
Despite assessing this as minimal, Parilla said that this should not be the case since, in the first place, the public was already informed of the existing protocols and are aware of the threat of the COVID-19 virus.
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