CITY MOVES TO ADDRESS GANG PROBLEMS IN CITY

May 19, 2021 – Mayor Benjamin Magalong directed law enforcers to thwart gang-related conflicts threatening to make a comeback in the city.

Apart from asking the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) under outgoing police director P Col. Allen Rae Co and the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) under division chief Marvin Herrera to adopt measures to prevent another incident of gang war, the mayor also tasked them to involve all concerned parties and sectors in resolving the problem.

Co said they will set a meeting to include not only the law enforcement and other concerned government agencies but also the academe and the gangs themselves.

“We have to involve everyone so that we can identify the issues and problems to be resolved as this cannot be addressed by the police alone,” Co said.

Co said there was no increase in gang war incidents in the city and in fact, those reported were only isolated cases.

“Based on our observations, this could be a result of lack of parental supervision and because there are no face-to-face classes, they can roam around especially those who are already above 15 years old.  They group together dahil wala naman silang ibang pinagkakaabalahan,” Co said.

“One of the main players to be able to curb this problem will be the parents themselves.  They have to monitor their children,” he added.

As of now, both BCPO and POSD intensified their visibility, surveillance, and monitoring of areas frequented by said gangs. – Aileen P. Refuerzo