Police in Negros Oriental said April 13 that 678 violators of local ordinances have been fined or issued warnings under the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) “Safer Cities” program.
Capt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), told the Philippine News Agency that authorities recorded the violations in the province’s six cities and 19 municipalities on April 10 to 12.
“This is the result of the immediate implementation of a directive from the DILG secretary against drinking alcohol in public places, shirtless individuals roaming city streets, the imposition of curfew hours, and regulated videoke activities, especially during nighttime,” Polinar said.
Records from NOrPPO showed that majority of citations involved violations of local traffic codes, resulting in fines. Additionally, 53 individuals were booked for drinking and smoking in public places, while 34 minors violated local curfew ordinances.
Polinar clarified that minors are not detained but receive warnings against repeated offenses. They are released to their parents or told to go home.
Police chiefs in Negros Oriental are currently coordinating with local government units (LGUs) to lobby for the passage or stricter implementation of ordinances aligned with the DILG’s memorandum for safer cities.
NOrPPO recently conducted an inventory of existing provincial, city, and municipal laws to strengthen public safety. Based on reports from LGUs, 18 areas have existing curfew ordinances, seven regulate loud videoke activities, four prohibit drinking in public, and two enforce rules against being half-naked in public spaces.
The DILG said that stronger guidelines and operational improvements are now being refined as program implementation moves forward.
DILG Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said in a statement that discussions with officials of the Philippine National Police will focus on firming up policies and enhancing enforcement protocols.
“Nevertheless, the Safer Cities initiative has begun, and it will progress. It will progress to other forms of making the city safer, which I will announce in the next few weeks as we perfect this,” he added.
By end of April, a comparative study will be conducted to assess focused crime data from April 2024 and 2025 against April 2026, with initial reports already indicating a decline in crime incidents.
From April 6 to 12, the PNP recorded 68,257 apprehensions under the Safer Cities initiative. Top violations logged were drinking and smoking in public places with 20,804 cases, roaming streets without shirts with 6,156 cases, minors violating curfew hours with 5,789 cases, and use of karaoke beyond allowed hours with 1,344 cases. Other violations reached 34,164 cases.
Remulla clarified the initiative is not intended to punish ordinary workers, but to restore order, discipline, and mutual respect in public spaces. ||
