5,000 ‘tambay’ nabbed in Metro Manila after Duterte’s order

Over 5,000 loiterers or "mga tambay" have been arrested in Metro Manila five days since President Rodrigo Duterte ordered authorities to step up their campaign against bystanders whom he viewed as "potential trouble for the public."

In a 5:30 p.m. update from National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, a total of 5,575 were arrested from 5 a.m. of June 13 to 5 a.m. of June 18.

The Eastern Police District arrested the highest number of violators of local ordinances with 1,805 followed by Southern Police District with 1,427, Quezon City Police District with 926, Manila Police District with 709 and Northern Police District with 708.

The specific violations, however, were not specified.

Individuals were arrested for violating curfew ordinances, for drinking in public places or streets, for being half-naked in the streets, and for smoking in public. Also apprehended were illegal vendors, videoke curfew violators, litterers, illegal barkers as well as those who violated the traffic code.

Other individuals who were arrested include those who violated the the prohibition on students entering internet shops, those who urinated in a public place, and those who disrupted peace and public order.

Tambay defined

Albayalde said that the term "tambay" had been probably "overused" or "inadvertently used" by policemen.

He said cops would not arrest just about anyone loitering in the streets.

"Kaya lang naman na-drum up ito or naging controversial ito, it's because the President has a specific directive. Sabi ko nga even without the directive of the President, we've been already been implementing these ordinances," Albayalde said.

"Nagkaron lang ng kontrobersiya it's because no less than the President sinabi niya and the word istambay, probably it was overused lang or inadvertently used by these policemen dahil 'yun ang word na ginamit," he added.

Albayalde said that those arrested in line with Duterte's directive had violated city ordinances and were not merely just loitering.

"Hindi 'yung nakaistambay sa isang sulok o sa isang kalsada, so kung makita pa rin natin, the word is just being used, na-use lang 'yan inadvertently because it was the word used by our President pero basically these are all violations of city ordinances," Duterte said.

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said law enforcers should be reminded that loitering had been decriminalized under Republic Act 10158.

Signed on March 27, 2012 by former President Benigno Aquino III, RA 10158 effectively decriminalized vagrancy.

Under one of the definitions in Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, a vagrant may be "any person found loitering about public or semi-public buildings or places of trampling or wandering about the country or the streets without visible means of support."

Albayalde said none of those arrested was nabbed because of vagrancy.

"Wala namang nahuli because of vagrancy...Ang hinuli dito because of smoking in public, illegal vendors, half-naked in public, drinking in public places or streets, urinating in public place, illegal barker, littering, breach of peace, obstruction, at tsaka merong riding-in-tandem pa and traffic code violations and concealment of deadly weapons," Albayalde said. —NB, GMA News