Screengrabbed form CCPO live video on Oplan Bulabog on December 4, 2021.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Police Office is asking establishments here to be responsible and follow health protocols, particularly with regards to complying with the curfew set by the government.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), made this call after reports reached him of at least three establishments in the city caught violating curfew hours over the weekend.
The curfew in Cebu City was changed for this Christmas season to 12 midnight to 3 a.m.
These establishments located in barangay Zapatera were found operating even beyond 12 midnight.
Parilla said that they recommended to the Cebu City’s Business Permits and Licensing Office to ask these establishments for an explanation on the violation.
Parilla appeals to establishment owners to be responsible enough to follow the guidelines agreed when they were given the green light to operate.
Parilla said that it is no longer the job of the police to secure all the establishments in the city since they have limited manpower. He also said that before these establishments were given the special permit to operate, they underwent training and required to submit a contingency plan for their security measures once needed. This means they are aware of the guidelines set by the government.
He said establishments by now should be well informed of the guidelines and thus, should have no reason to violate these.
Parilla highlighted how important complying with the curfew is, saying it not only helps with the COVID-19 situation, but also with the crime scene in the city.
Parilla said that the curfew established in the city has greatly helped them lower the crime incidents in the city. However, since the curfew was moved to 12 midnight, they also expect crime incidents to increase. Because of this, he is also reminding the public to stay vigilant, especially when out at night.
Based on their latest data, Parilla said that they have recorded at least 20 crimes against properties last week. These mainly fall on the theft and robbery incidents. These figures increased from eight to 13 incidents that they recorded from the past few weeks.
He said, though, that these theft and robbery incidents were mostly solved.
/bmjo
READ: Cebu City’s new curfew starts from 12 midnight to 3am for adults and 10pm to 4am for minors