Marikina Mayor Del de Guzman on Monday urged barangay (village) officials as well as parents to strictly implement and follow the city’s revised curfew in the wake of recent reports about the involvement of some youth in criminal activities.
Under City Ordinance No. 40, young people below 18 years old are prohibited from going out on the streets between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. The measure—signed by De Guzman on Aug. 19—updated Ordinance No. 163 issued in 2001 which set a curfew from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The mayor said that the updated ordinance was a way for them to guarantee not only the youth’s safety but also of the entire community.
“We are preventing the youth [from falling] prey to criminal elements. We are calling on the parents and [barangay officials] to strictly implement and follow this ordinance,” he added in a statement.
Last week, a 15-year-old shot and killed Danilo de Luna Jr., 16, as the victim was playing cards outside another friend’s house in Barangay Tumana past midnight. The teenager’s motive for killing his friend has yet to be determined as he escaped after the incident.–Jovic Yee