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What happens to curfew violators in Davao City?

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-1.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">24/7 FACILITY. The Quick Response Team for Children&#x27;s Concerns office is open round-the-clock for curfew violators, street dwellers, and homeless persons. <em>Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>DAVAO CITY – A two-story house nestled under the cool shade of trees along Claro M. Recto Avenue serves as the temporary home of street children, minors, and other homeless persons who were taken off the streets of Davao for loitering past the 10 p.m. curfew set by President Rodrigo Duterte when he was still mayor of this southern metropolis.</p><p>The laid-back ambiance of the white-walled property is a far cry from the rowdy police stations in <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/nation/metro-manila/05/31/16/pnp-steps-up-curfew-enforcement-in-metro-manila" target="_blank">Metro Manila </a>where curfew violators are detained.</p><p>Aside from housing social welfare desks, the place is also equipped with bare but clean holding areas, sleeping quarters, shower rooms and lavatories that can be used by those &quot;rescued&quot; from the streets during Davao’s curfew hours. </p><div><strong>GUESTS, NOT CRIMINALS</strong></div><p>Davao City Social Services and Development Office head Maria Luisa Bermudo told ABS-CBN News that violators, after being apprehended either by barangay officials or by the police, are brought to the Quick Response Team for Children&#x27;s Concerns (QRTCC) office where they are fed, bathed, and interviewed by social workers.</p><p>“Some of the kids we get off the streets, especially stowaways, have not eaten for days. How can a child answer questions if he or she is hungry or tired? You should let them rest, make them feel comfortable,” Bermudo said.</p><p>After the interview, the minors are also required to undergo a medical assessment. Medical reports are then forwarded and filed at the social services office.</p><p>“It is the responsibility of the law enforcement (officer) to ensure that the child has been referred for medical (examination), especially if they notice physical bruises on the children,” Bermudo said.</p><script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1/jquery.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script src="~/CMSPages/GetResource.ashx?scriptfile=~/cmsscripts/custom/abs-cbn-news/abscbnmaster/newsv2-1.2.9.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div id="galleria"><a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-2.jpg"><img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="HOMEY FACADE. QRTCC officials said it is important to keep the facility as normal-looking as possible to avoid intimidating children who are left at the premises." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-2.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-3.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="HOLDING AREA. Mats and beddings may be used in this area for lost or stranded passengers." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-3.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-4.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="MALE SLEEPING QUARTERS. The male sleeping area is located on the ground floor." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-4.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-5.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="FEMALE SLEEPING QUARTERS: The female sleeping area is located on the second floor." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-5.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-6.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="KITCHEN. Hot meals that include rice, viand, and soup are prepared for curfew violators in Davao." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-6.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-7.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="DIRTY KITCHEN. A separate area is intended for washing dishes, utensils, and other kitchen materials." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-7.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-8.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="LAUNDRY AREA. Homeless persons who are yet to be relocated may wash their garments in this part of the QRTCC office." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-8.jpg"/> </a> <a href="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-9.jpg"> <img data-description="Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News" data-title="SHOWER ROOM. Social workers make sure that curfew violators, especially street children, observe proper hygiene during their stay in the QRTCC office." src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/nation/07/06/curfew-violators-9.jpg"/> </a></div><script type="text/javascript">Galleria.loadTheme('//abscbnnewsml.blob.core.windows.net/themes/default-gallery/themes/themev2/galleria.azur.min.js');Galleria.run('#galleria', {trueFullscreen: true, height: 350,});	</script><p>QRTCC social welfare officer Juenalyn Pablo said other cities that are copying Davao&#x27;s curfew scheme should see to it that minors are not brought to jails and police stations just because they are still out on streets from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.</p><p>“We are not in favor of detaining minors in city jails or police stations because it can be traumatic for them. They might be labeled as criminals or they might be influenced by inmates who are facing more serious crimes,” Pablo said.</p><div><strong>NO PENALTIES, FINES</strong></div><p>Pablo told ABS-CBN News that children who are apprehended are either escorted back to their homes the following morning, or are fetched by their parents from the QRTCC office.</p><p>“We don’t agree with (requiring curfew violators to do) <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/classified-odd/05/30/16/curfew-violators-made-to-do-push-ups" target="_blank">push-ups</a>. Minors who violate the curfew are taken in and are counseled by social workers. We don’t issue sanctions against these minors because we want to be child-friendly,” Pablo said.</p><p>“Children who violate the curfew are more prone to committing more serious crimes. As early as now, interventions should be extended to these children,” Pablo added.</p><p>Davao City social services officials said fines are not immediately imposed against the parents of curfew violators as the guardians are also treated as clients.</p><p>“Some cases recur because there are problems in their homes. That’s why it is important for barangay workers to monitor and follow up cases,” Bermudo said.</p><p>The parents and guardians are required to attend counseling sessions to minimize the recurrence of the offense. Barangay social workers are also expected to conduct continuous monitoring in their areas, and hold several seminars on responsible parenthood.</p><p>“As much as possible, we don’t want to alienate the children from their families. The parents are still primarily responsible for the upbringing of their children,” Bermudo added.</p><div><strong>SEVERE CASES</strong></div><p>But the no-penalty rule is not a blanket policy as formal charges of neglect and abuse are filed against serious or frequent offenders.</p><p>Bermudo recalled that then-Davao mayor Duterte brought a four-year-old, a five-year-old, and a six-year-old to the QRTCC office in 2014. After further investigation, authorities found that the three children were deliberately abandoned by their mother in Victoria Plaza in Obrero.</p><p>After local courts found the mother guilty of neglect, the children were taken by the social services office while the parent was imprisoned for over a year.</p><p>Republic Act 7610 authorizes the Social Welfare and Development department to take custody of children who suffered “neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.”</p><p>“I would agree to stiffer penalties (against parents who neglect their children) but that would depend on the degree of the abuse. Intervention for erring parents should still be provided by government so they are still given the chance to reform,” Bermudo said.</p><div><strong>NATIONWIDE IMPLEMENTATION</strong></div><p>Bermudo said they spend at least P200,000 a month to run the QRTCC office. In 2015, free meals, baths, temporary lodging, intervention, and relocation services were extended to 227 minors who were either lost, abandoned, raped, neglected, or were living on the streets.</p><p>Last year, the services offered by the QRTCC office to curfew violators were also extended to more than 300 adults and senior citizens who were lost, stranded, neglected, or homeless.</p><p>Bermudo said part of the funding is also used to hold “capacity building programs” that allow law enforcers to “undergo training programs on how to properly handle children.”</p><p>“We could not do it alone. If the police, the barangay, and the courts are not responsive, we cannot really do anything. If they don’t think child protection is not important, nothing will happen,” Bermudo told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>Bermudo is optimistic that the QRTCC’s program on curfew violators can be implemented nationwide. She said, “It’s not about the budget, it’s about political will.”</p>

The laid-back ambiance of the white-walled property is a far cry from the rowdy police stations in Metro Manila where curfew violators are detained.

What happens to curfew violators in Davao City?

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What happens to curfew violators in Davao City?

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 06, 2016 09:21 PM PHT

Read More:

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Davao City

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