Mindanaotoday.com | Klarex: No ‘curfew order’ in Oro
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Mayor Rolando Uy clarified on Wednesday, July 27, that he has not issued an executive order (EO) implementing curfew, specifically for minors, following the recent series of crime incidents here.
Uy made the statement in his interview over Magnum Radio after the said incorrect information has circulated in social media.
“Wala koy executive order nga akong ibalik ang curfew sa mga minor. Wala, wala. Kay ngano? Kung minor ang akong tagaan og adunay curfew, nagpasabot nga adunay discrimination (I don’t have executive order that I will reimpose the curfew for the minors. Why? If I implement curfew for the minors, that means that there is discrimination),” he said.
The local chief executive, however, received the recommendation of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO), which suggested the curfew for minors up to 18 years old.
But Uy clarified that he still needed to consult the proposal to the other sectors, especially the business sector.
The curfew recommendation for minors up to 18 years old was brought up as there were some minors involved in the recent incidents here, earlier said Lt. Col. Surki Sereñas, the COCPO deputy director for operations.
However, Councilor Romeo Calizo, the chairman of the city council’s public order and safety committee, earlier said that curfew should not be limited to minors as there were also adults involved in the recent incidents here.
Balancing the security and economy has also been stressed by the city officials amid curfew discussion as they want establishments to regain profitability after suffering economic losses due to the restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The city has an existing curfew implementation covering children aged 14 years old and below under the City Ordinance 4373-94.
Meanwhile, the curfew implemented as measures against Covid-19 pandemic was lifted on June 6 this year by former Cagayan de Oro mayor Oscar Moreno.
In regards to the series of incidents last week, the COCPO already clarified that there is no crime surge here and stressed that the weekly average of crime incidents in the city has, in fact, dropped to eight from 10 based on their 28-week monitoring.
However, in ensuring the peace and order, Uy earlier said that he is planning to create Oro Police Auxiliary Teams that would be deployed, if realized, to the 10 police stations here as additional manpower to the police forces.
The said proposal is set to consult to the different sectors to determine if it’s really appropriate.
“Mangonsulta ko sa mga negosyante, sa mga NGO, sa media puhon kung angayan ba nga adunay Oro Police Auxiliary (I will consult the businesspeople, the NGOs [Non-Government Organizations], the media if it is appropriate to have Oro Police Auxiliary),” Uy said in his radio interview.
The city mayor is also planning to provide additional patrol cars and motorcycles to the different police stations that would be used for immediate response to various incidents. (MT)
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