First 2 weeks of Oplan Bulabog nets nearly 2,000 curfew violators in Cebu City

Colonel Josefino Ligan, director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they have arrested 1,825 individuals in the first two weeks of “Oplan Bulabog,” an operation which goes after curfew violators.

From January 16 to January 31, Ligan said the CCPO started conducting surveillance in areas that have been reported to continue having activities even during the curfew.

Oplan Bulabog operations are carried out in the city during the curfew hours of 11 pm to 5 am.

Of the almost 2,000 arrested in that two-week span, 27 were minors. Ligan said the minors were brought back to their homes.

He said 286 establishments in the city were found to have violated various quarantine regulations, like operating beyond curfew, exceeding the 50% catering capacity, and serving more than two orders of alcoholic beverages per customer.

These establishments were given show-cause orders, while the curfew violators were arrested. 

Noting that the spike in COVID-19 cases were related to social gatherings, Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella imposed a ban on public drinking on Tuesday, February 2. 

Ligan told Cebu Digital News, “With this new executive order, ato ni ienforce og todo. Hopefully atong mga residente sa syudad, sayod na, aware na, dili na nila iviolate ang executive order”.

(With this new executive order, we will strictly enforce it. Hopefully, our residents in the city are obedient and aware now and won’t violate the executive order.)

With the mayor’s EO, Oplan Bulabog will now include going after persons drinking alcoholic beverages outside their residences.

However, establishments like convenience stores and groceries are still allowed to sell alcohol but only for private, indoor consumption. They need only ensure that customers will not drink in the area just outside their establishment.

Barangay officials and other local government units are also mandated to implement the ban within their respective areas of jurisdiction.

As of this writing, Cebu City has 1,613 active coronavirus cases, 10,475 recoveries, and 701 deaths. – Rappler.com