Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has ordered a review of the Safer Cities Initiative following the issuance of a violation ticket to a man caught shirtless while mixing cement in Mandaluyong City that has gone viral on social media.
In a media conference on Monday, April 13, Remulla said he will personally visit the man in his home to apologize and give assurance about the government’s revision of the program’s guidelines to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“I will visit him to personally apologize, and I assure him that we will correct this,” Remulla said as he owned up to what he described as a lack of specific instructions on how the enforcement should be done.
The incident had also resulted in the suspension of the ordinance implementation in Manila City.
Since the launching of the Safer Cities Initiative on April 6, almost 6,000 people have been apprehended in Metro Manila for going topless on the streets, while more than 60,000 have been apprehended for various violations, mostly drinking and smoking in public places.
While almost all of those apprehended were just warned, the implementation was hyped and criticized over what critics described as lack of common sense in the enforcement.
That point was highlighted by the arrest of a topless worker while mixing cement in Mandaluyong City.
For Remulla, there is a need to clear things up to prevent the repeat of similar incidents.
“It was my fault that I did not give clearer instructions on how to do the Safer Cities Initiative. I will make amends and I will make sure that we will talk about this to clear things up,” he explained.
The official clarified that the program’s implementation will continue since, at this early stage, its effects on peace and order are already gradually being felt. (Aaron Recuenco)
