Makati mayor wants new curfew ordinance

Makati Mayor Abby Binay on Thursday called on the city council to hasten the passage of a curfew ordinance for minors, as she noted that the curfew provision of the city’s youth welfare code is not compliant with present laws on children. Under the proposed measure endorsed by the Makati City Council for the Protection of Children, persons below 18 years old should not be on the streets from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. daily. According to city legal officer Don Camiña, the curfew provision of the Makati City Child and Youth Welfare Code cannot be implemented because it punishes the violator with detention in youth centers, making it noncompliant with the updated Juvenile Justice System Act. The proposed curfew ordinance recommends that the child be escorted by authorities back to his or her home on the first offense. The child and the parent or guardian shall be made to sign an agreement for them to attend a parenting seminar and counseling. In the absence of parent or guardian, the child may be released to a barangay official. If the child has no known parents or guardian, the child shall be brought to the Makati Social Welfare Development for filing of petition declaring the child as abandoned and neglected. If the child is caught in violation of the curfew for the second time, a fine of P2,000 or imprisonment of not more than five days shall be imposed on the parent or guardian. —ERIKA SAULER