BACOLOD City – Two alleged “rugby boys” were rescued at a mall along Araneta Street in Barangay Singcang-Airport here.
Barangay Captain Caesar Distrito on Wednesday confirmed that the two boys were minors.
“Aton ipatawag ang ila ginikanan para ma-istorya sang Violence Against Women & their Children (VAWC) officer kag social worker, kag ma-istorya sila sang ila responsibilidad sa ila kabataan,” Distrito said in a Facebook post.
He added: “Aton dumdumon nga ang layi naton nagsiling nga basta kabataan, indi mo ni sila ma preso. Aton lang sila ma-turnover sa ila ginikanan ukon sa mga miembro sang ila pamilya.”
The barangay captain also said that tanods and officers of the Police Station 8 were monitoring the aforementioned area after receiving information about several boys loitering there sniffing solvent and asking for alms.
Following this, the city’s Anti-Mendicancy Task Force has been conducting round-the-clock surveillance of minors, particularly “rugby boys”, roaming around the city.
Meanwhile, Alma Gustilo, Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) Officer of the city’s Department of Social Services Development (DSSD), said that previously “rugby boys” in the city were all rounded up but they are back again.
“They are mostly seen in the areas along Barangay Singcang-Airport and along Lacson Street near food chains in front of the Capitol Lagoon,” she said.
The DSSD, according to Gustilo, is giving medical assistance to those children rescued of using solvent, at the same time makes an assessment of the parents of those rescued children in terms of their capacity in taking care of them.
“If the parents are not capable of child caring, the rescued children will be referred to the institutional care,” she said.
Gustilo further clarified that the solvent is not considered as illegal drug but the rescued children should undergo treatment because they still need it.
Bacolod has an existing City Ordinance No. 328, or the “Rugby and Other Volatile Substances Ordinance of Bacolod City.
Under this, any parent, guardian, or person of legal age authorizing or requesting minors to purchase, acquire, or handle such volatile substances for them, and which said minor subsequently used for the purpose of inhalation to induce or produce intoxication or in any manner changing, distorting or disturbing their auditory, visual or mental process, shall be penalized with imprisonment of six months or a fine of P1,000 or both, at the discretion of the court.
Also, business establishments selling any of the volatile substances shall strictly comply with the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1619 requiring a written consent from the parent or guardian of a minor before any volatile substance can be sold to the minor.
This ordinance was created due to the alarming increase of minors using rugby/glue and other volatile substances as substitutes for dangerous drugs./PN
