COTABATO CITY — Curfew hours are still in effect during the observance of the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in this city.
Senior Supt. Rolly Octavio, city police director, said visiting relatives at cemeteries, particularly on Nov. 2, could not spend overnight at the city’s public, Catholic, and Chinese cemeteries as they would be held liable for violation of the “discipline hour”.
The discipline hour is a city ordinance setting forth 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. as curfew hours across the city.
“As usual, nobody is exempted from the measure, except for cases of emergency that might occur in the middle of the night,” Octavio said.
The police official said everybody should vacate the premises of the cemeteries and be at their homes as early as 10 p.m. as soon as they hear the curfew warning siren across the city.
“This is for the safety of everyone,” Octavio said.
The city government has maintained the curfew since May last year, shortly after President Rodrigo Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law due to the Marawi siege instigated by the Maute and Abu Sayyaf terror groups.
The city government passed Ordinance 4529 or the “Discipline Hour Ordinance” in support of the Mindanao-wide martial law that has been proven effective in neutralizing lawless elements operating in the city.
This developed as the city government also strengthened its city-wide, nighttime “Ronda Patrol” that requires the city police force, Army support groups, and barangay force multipliers, to scour the interiors of the city’s 36 villages for law violators.
Moreover, Octavio said the implementation of the “No ID, No Entry” policy here would still be upheld even during the period of “Undas” activities that would run up to November 4. (Noel Punzalan/PNA)