DILG chief draws flak over arrest of shirtless laborer

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla apologized on Monday after police officers arrested a shirtless construction worker in Mandaluyong City who was mixing cement for violating the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) “Safer Cities” initiative, saying he did not provide “clearer instructions” on the program’s implementation.

“Because my instructions were lacking, the police apprehended just anyone without a shirt. That’s wrong … and I take full responsibility,” Remulla said at a press briefing in Camp Crame.

He stressed that the Safer Cities program is not meant to penalize ordinary workers but to promote order, discipline and respect in public spaces.