21,000 rounded up in drive vs loiterers

Around 21,000 people were rounded up by policemen in Metro Manila two weeks after President Duterte ordered an intensified crackdown on street loiterers and local ordinance violators.

Data from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) as of Friday showed that a total of 20,979 individuals were apprehended by authorities from the five police districts.

Smoking ban

Most turned out to have violated the smoking ban in public places at 5,463 or 26.04 percent of the total violators.

The rest were minors violating the curfew (3,922 or 18.69 percent), street drunkards (3,477 or 16.43 percent) and half-naked men (3,137 or 14.95 percent).

Others, at 5,010 (or 23.88 percent), were apprehended for violating other ordinances.

Almost 40 percent of violators were caught by members of the Eastern Police District (composed of the cities of Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig and San Juan) at 8,315.

This was  followed by Southern Police District (4,822 or 22.98 percent), Quezon City Police District (3,544 or 16.89 percent), Northern Police District (2,165 or 10.32 percent), and Manila Police District (2,134 or 10.17 percent).

NCRPO director, Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, however, clarified that of those apprehended, only 243 remain under police custody while waiting for their cases to be elevated to courts. WITH REPORTS FROM  JOSEPH SEBASTIAN JAVIER AND ROSELIE MARI VILLAFLOR