THE chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, Director Oscar Albayalde, has denied allegations that police officers are given a “quota” in the government’s war on drugs.
The allegations followed the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos on Aug. 16, and the sudden spike of fatalities in anti-narcotics operations in Bulacan and Manila.
At least 80 people were killed in just three days of anti-drug operations last week.
“The quota was never there. In fairness to our President [Rodrigo Duterte] he never gave us any quota. In fairness to our chief of PNP, he never gave us any quota,” Albayalde told ANC.
Duterte earlier said his government was willing to carry out more killings in legitimate police operations if this would reduce “what ails the country.”
“If we could kill 32 [in the drug list] every day then maybe we can reduce what ails this country,” he said.
Meanwhile, the city government of Makati is set to impose curfew hours for minors to protect and save the children from getting involved in illegal drugs and other criminal activity.
The move came amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Delos Santos’ killing in the police operations “Operation Galugad” in Caloocan City.
Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay called on members of the City Council for the immediate passage of the proposed Child Protection Ordinance, which prescribes curfew hours for children below 18 years old from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. daily.
“We are pushing for the passage of the Child Protection Ordinance primarily to lessen the exposure of children to various forms of violence and criminality and prevent them from becoming either the victims or the offenders themselves,” said Binay.
Binay, who also chairs the Makati City Council for the Protection of Children, also called on parents and guardians to work together with the city government in promoting a safe and secure environment for their children and wards.
“We are counting on your full cooperation and support to ensure the safety and well-being of our young constituents,” she said.
Binay also expressed confidence that the City Council would recognize the necessity of the ordinance and give it due priority, noting its impressive record of 73 ordinances and 54 resolutions passed during the first half of the year.
Under the proposed ordinance, it shall be unlawful for a parent or guardian to knowingly permit or allow a child to remain in any public place within the city during curfew hours.
Any public place includes streets, highways, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, vacant lots, parks, alleys, playgrounds, curbs, gutters, driveways, walkways, and public buildings.
Other places deemed public include common areas in and about churches, apartment buildings, office buildings, hospitals, schools; shops and places of entertainment such as computer shops, internet café, movie theaters and similar places or establishments; and places of amusement and eating places, whether inside or outside a motor vehicle, or other unsupervised places, among others.
However, the proposed ordinance also cites instances when a child is exempted from curfew hours.
The child is exempted when he or she is accompanied by the child’s parent, guardian, or other adult person having care and custody over the child, provided that the child is not being used for any illegal activity or crime; when the child is doing emergency errands for his or her family; or when the child is going home from work, school or religious-related activity, provided that the child will submit a certificate of attendance of said activity.
During the first rescue, the child will be escorted by authorities to his or her residence and shall be released to the parent or guardian after the latter has presented documents as proof of their identity and relationship to the child.
The parent or guardian and the child rescued shall also sign a written agreement to attend a Parent’s Effectiveness Seminar or other parenting-related seminar, and undergo immediate counseling, respectively.
The proposed ordinance further provides that in the absence of a parent or guardian, the child may be released to any barangay official, tanod or Barangay Council for the Protection of Children member. On the other hand, if the child has no known parents or guardians, the child shall be brought to the Makati Social Welfare Department for the filing of the petition declaring the child as abandoned and neglected.
If the child is a non-Makati resident, he or she shall be temporarily placed in a holding area while necessary effort is being done to locate his or her residence, parent, guardian or relative. On the second rescue, the child together with the parent or guardian shall be referred to MSWD for the necessary assessment, and intervention and rehabilitation program.
A parent or guardian in charge of the custody of child who is found grossly negligent in the performance of his or her duty shall be sanctioned.
On the child’s first rescue, failure to attend PES or any other parenting-related seminar on the child’s first rescue, his or her benefits provided by the city government will be suspended.
On the second rescue, a P2,000-fine or imprisonment of not more than five days, or both shall be imposed on the rescued child’s parent or guardian.
When after thorough assessment by a registered social worker of MSWD, a parent or guardian is found negligent in the performance of his or her duties towards his or her child who were rescued twice or more, he or she shall be presumed as committing acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation as provided for under RA 7610 and the Makati Child and Youth Welfare Code.
The social worker or barangay official may then file the corresponding complaint with the Office of the City Prosecutor.