AMID an outcry from some quarters that the crackdown on tambay has merely given cops more avenues to violate human rights, National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde has ordered his subordinates to craft guidelines covering the nationwide implementation of the campaign against street loiterers.
The directive, issued to the PNP Directorate for Operations and the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, was made in response to President Duterte’s order for the police to ensure that human rights are protected at all times during operations.
Albayalde said the guidelines should guide the policemen in enforcing local ordinances, as he clarified that individuals are not being rounded up during wee hours for vagrancy—which has been decriminalized—but for violating various local ordinances.
“We will consolidate [local ordinances] nationwide…Implementation of city ordinances forms part of our police operational procedure [POP], and it is stated in our POP that respect for human rights is a paramount consideration [during our operations],” the PNP chief said.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has already rounded up more than 5,000 individuals in weeklong operations in Metro Manila.
The operations have drawn criticism, with some calling it a prelude to the declaration of a martial law, although Duterte had earlier said they were being taken up to rid the streets of “trouble-causing” individuals.
Albayalde said there is nothing new to the operations, and that during his stint as NCRPO director, he carried out the Oplan “Rody”—to rid Metro Manila of undesirable people especially during the wee hours.
“They are usually the cause of troubles, especially when they are already drunk,” he said.
In defending the new police campaign, Albayalde said no one had been arrested for vagrancy, but for violations of various local ordinances.
“Nobody was arrested because of vagrancy…those arrested were those smoking in public places, illegal vendors, half naked in public, drinking in public places or streets, urinating in public place, illegal barker, littering, breach of peace, obstruction, riding in tandem and traffic-code violators and concealment of deadly weapons,” he said.
Albayalde said that all regional police offices were instructed to coordinate closely with local government units for the consolidation of ordinances, as the guidelines will be issued within the week.
“All ordinances should be known to our policemen for implementation,” he said.