OFFICIALS of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) are warning village chiefs that they could face administrative charges if they fail to keep minors from going out of their homes.
Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla, CCPO deputy director for operations, made the ultimatum after he noticed that more minors were apprehended during their Oplan Bulabog operations.
On Wednesday night, August 25, 2021, local police and personnel of the city’s Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (Probe) apprehended 467 individuals and 143 of them were below 18 years old.
Parilla said during that particular operation, police officers “rescued” minors playing video games inside an internet cafe.
Operation of internet cafes is prohibited under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
Parilla said he is urging barangay officials to inspect internet cafes in their areas as gatherings inside these establishments could cause Covid-19 infections.
If barangays failed to comply, Parilla said they will be forced to submit an incident report to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Central Visayas which could lead to the filing of administrative charges.
In a separate interview, Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and city councilor Franklyn Ong agrees with Parilla’s call and plans to convince his fellow village chiefs to comply.
Ong said village chiefs must do their part in preventing further infections from occurring in their barangays. (AYB / JKV)