‘Oplan RODY’ not against ‘tambays’
Police: It is about implementation of local ordinances
SAN SIMON - Amid the criticisms on the “crackdown” against loiterers, Pampanga Police Provincial Office Acting Director Senior Superintendent Nicolas Salvador justified that the implementation of Oplan RODY (Rid the Streets of Drunkards and Youth) is a mere enactment of local ordinances and is not against “tambays.”
During an interview after his courtesy visit to Mayor Leonora Wong of this town, Salvador said that Oplan RODY, more known as the “anti-tambay” measure, does not aim to instill fear but promote discipline among the public, especially youth.
Contrary to public perception, Salvador explained that police does not merely round up any individual during night time, rather apprehend only those who violate
local ordinances like curfew hours, laws that prohibit drinking alcohol, and being shirtless in public, among others.
“Tambay has just become a term but the real essence of Oplan RODY is the implementation of barangay and municipal ordinances like curfew for minors, drinking in public places and being naked,”Salvador said.
And despite the flak it is receiving, Salvador asserted that the strict implementation of the measure has helped solved criminalities and lawlessness that were supposedly orchestrated at night time in the province.
He cited the incident in Mabalacat City where an alleged robbery suspect and drug personality was arrested by police officers who were making rounds around the vicinity to apprehend possible violators.
Based on the police report, the suspect identified as Prince Tian Reyes, who was later pronounced dead after resisting arrest, was responsible for a series of burglary activities in the city but remained at large until young men in the area, who were supposed to be accosted for staying out late, helped track Reyes’whereabouts.
“That is an example of the good side of the strict implementation of local ordinances. It only manifests the true goal of the police operation which is to get rid of undesirable individuals in the streets who are trying to victimize law abiding citizens,” he said.