ILOILO City – Curfew violators who were rounded up in this city are made to watch informative films on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) spokesperson Captain Sheila Mae Sangrines said they came up with the strategy after observing that violators do not seem to heed the “lectures” of the police chiefs and village officials.
From March 18 to April 8, the ICPO has recorded a total of 1,034 curfew violators.
They are gathered in a public plaza or gymnasium and are made to watch the films as they wait for their names to be recorded by the police and village officials.
“We offer the COVID-19 film showing for curfew violators while they wait (to be) processed. They also observe social distancing while waiting,” Sangrines said.
The video materials shown to the violators tackle how a person acquires the virus and the consequences of not staying at home and being infected with the disease.
Although the ICPO has not yet determined the total number of repeat offenders, Sangrines said some residents were repeatedly seen on the streets outside the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew hours.
“We saw that some have not internalized how dangerous the virus is. Our lecture, conducted by our chiefs of police, (was) effective at first but some seem to forget about it as time passes,” she said.
The strategy was first applied to about 100 violators at the city proper on the evening of April 5.
The violators were gathered at the Iloilo City Freedom Grandstand through the initiative of ICPO Station 1 chief Major Francisco Paguia.
The strategy was later replicated in La Paz district and Sangrines said they aim to implement the same strategy in all the districts in this city.
Most of the violators were instructed to go home after the film viewing while charges were prepared for some who showed disobedience to the authorities.
“Those who show disobedience, or threw bad words (at) our personnel will face charges,” she said.
Based on the record of the Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas), 112 curfew violators in this city were being processed to face legal consequences.
From March 18 to April 8, Molo district arrested 220 curfew violators; Jaro (218); La Paz (182); Arevalo (160); City Proper (132); and Mandurriao (122).
Of the 1,034 violators, 896 were of legal age and 138 were minors.
The ICPO follows the guidelines of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in handling violators who are less than 18 years old, wherein the village takes custody of these minors. (With a report from PNA/PN)
