ILOILO City – Three parents were slapped with charges for their children’s violation of the curfew for minors in this city.
According to George Duron, head of the city government’s Task Force on Morals and Values Formation, the children of these parents violated the ordinance three times already.
The charges for violation of the ordinance were filed against the parents early this month.
Regulation Ordinance No. 2006-020, which amended Regulation Ordinance No. 2011-676 (Curfew on Minors), set the curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. of the following day.
It held parents or guardians of erring minors liable for the curfew violations.
The parents may be imprisoned from 30 days to six months.
On the minors’ first curfew violation, the parents would get a “first warning” from the Task Force on Morals and Values Formation.
A “last warning” to would be issued to parents for their children’s second curfew violation, and a subpoena from the court for the third offense.
According to Duron, the task force managed to apprehend 147 minors whose parents were issued “last warnings.”
Sinc January this year, the task force caught 946 youngsters, mostly boys, violating the curfew.
Duron denied his task force was not consistently enforcing the ordinance.
“Kon drastic action ang himuon naton, what will happen sa mga kabataan? Madulaan sang ginikanan? Indi kami gusto nga gilayon mag-file kaso,” he said.
Most of the apprehended minors belonged to indigent families, said Duron.
“Ang mga ginikanan kis-a ma-neglect ila kabataan bangod gapangita sila sang ila kinawala,” he said.
Duron stressed the importance of protecting these children by rescuing them especially at night./PN
