Internet café padlocked in Davao for allowing 24 minors to play

An Internet café in Davao City was padlocked Tuesday afternoon after city officials caught 24 minors, including an eight-year-old pupil, playing computer games during school hours there. Sun-Star Davao (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Wednesday that the raid conducted by the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) stemmed from complaints of the pupils’ parents. It said the raid took place at the Numlock Internet Cafe owned by Revelyn Martinez along Pioneer Street in 33-D village Tuesday afternoon. Martinez faces sanctions for allowing children to play games in the cafe during class hours, a violation of the City Internet Cafe Ordinance of 2004. A second sanction is for allowing minors to smoke inside the enclosed establishment, and a third is for selling cigarettes to minors. “The operation was based on the complaints of parents," said PO2 Elisa Ramirez of the Sta. Ana police. Ramirez said some parents found out that their children failed to graduate as they had been skipping classes. Ramirez said the children would tell the caretaker of the Internet café that they have no classes but said the owner “lives near the café, so the owner knows what is happening." - GMANews.TV