Instead of arrests, village execs should take ‘tambays’ to counseling—PAO

PAO chief Dr. Persida Rueda Acosta. INQUIRER file photo / LYN RILLON

Instead of arresting shirtless tambays (loiterers), barangay officials should take them to the barangay hall for counseling, Public Attorneys’ Office (PAO) Chief Persida Rueda Acosta said Thursday.

In an interview on Radyo Inquirer’s Banner Story, Acosta said aside from counseling, they should be required to do community service if they cannot afford to pay the fine.

She added that the barangay officials, not policemen, should be in charge of implementing a local ordinance because they would know the locals better, whether or not they are troublemakers, involved in drugs, or shirtless simply because their clothes are still wet.

Penalties for violating ordinances vary in each city; for instance, in Pasay City, the fine for vagrancy is P200 and illegal barkering is P500. The amount of the fines may be too big for the people who are arrested, Acosta said. Alyssa Javier, INQUIRER.net Intern /je