The illusion of ‘Safer Cities’
It’s amazing what heights of logic the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) must have leapt to identify the true bearers of crime and danger in the nation’s capital: the barechested, the drunk, and the tone-deaf.
Under the “Safer Cities” initiative, the Philippine National Police reported a staggering 48,257 apprehensions in Metro Manila in just 72 hours since the directive was announced. Drinking and smoking in public accounted for a majority of the cases, followed by being shirtless in public, violating the curfew for minors, and exceeding the permitted karaoke hours. Among the 23,376 individuals apprehended from April 7 to 8, a total of 7,839 were fined, 403 were formally charged, and 15,584 given warnings and released.
“This is not a simple ultimatum. It is a reminder to everyone that self-discipline is essential to the order of our community. When everyone is disciplined, we are all safer,” the PNP chief, Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., said.
Apparently, this is the authorities’ idea of a peaceful society. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s directive, peppered with warnings to “rugby boys,” “geng-geng (gang members),” and “morons,” seems to suggest that enforcing civility is all it takes to halt the gears of criminality.
What a lovely, if delusional, sentiment.
Tax on urban poor
While few argue against quieter nights, one must wonder if the DILG is confusing “safer cities” with “elite enclaves.” Keeping the poor out of sight might make the city feel safe, but unfortunately, safety isn’t measured by feeling alone.
By focusing on minor infractions rather than criminal intent, the program serves as a dragnet for the marginalized. With nearly P2 million in fines collected on the first day alone, the program begins to look suspiciously like a tax on the urban poor. As human rights watchdogs have noted, this is a performative campaign designed to create the illusion of control while failing to address the roots of instability like joblessness, hunger, and an escalating fuel crisis.
A shirtless man sitting on his doorstep in a cramped Tondo alley is not a threat to national security but a regular person whose house has no air conditioner under the sweltering Manila heat. Similarly, the 10 p.m. curfew for minors presumes every teenager has a laminated ID and a traditional home. It ignores the errand runners, the informal vendors, and the homeless youth who have nowhere to go.
Imposing discipline is not a bad idea in a megapolis where discipline is scarce. But in the reality of the streets, firmness by law enforcement often translates to high-handedness against those with no means to fight back. Human rights advocates aren’t bleeding hearts for being alarmed. They are simply reading from history, including the police’ dismal rights record.
Faces of urban insecurity
Kabataan party list Rep. Renee Co criticized the curfew guidelines as “openly antipoor and elitist,” while Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan spokesperson Milo Basuel noted how police “roundly characterized those they arrested as hoodlums, leading to widespread profiling and illegal arrests.”
If the goal is crime prevention, the DILG should look at headlines that actually terrify the public. Consider the two Japanese men killed in the streets of Malate on a Friday night in August last year. Or more recently, a female rider in Tondo, who was held at knifepoint in traffic.
Those are the faces of urban insecurity. Does the DILG honestly believe rounding up shirtless men or stopping videoke sessions will do anything to stop killers and robbers?
Instead of just enforcing dress codes, the government should focus on structural safety: Light up dark alleys where muggings happen. Build plazas where regular people are allowed to congregate and socialize.
Aesthetics over ethics
In most Metro Manila local government units (LGUs), the public square has been replaced by the private mall. Now, even walking on the sidewalk at a late hour could be considered loitering for the underage or the penniless.
Ultimately, “Safer Cities” is a policy that is more about aesthetics than ethics. It sounds easy to restore order by sweeping the poor under the rug of local legislation, but it is much harder to actually make them safe.
To be clear, the DILG’s initiative need not be abandoned, but it must evolve into a program that balances social order with human rights. That will require safeguards to curb inevitable abuse, as well as a shift in focus from policing appearances to protecting people from real harm.
Beyond ordinances, LGUs, too, must invest in infrastructure that gives Filipinos alternatives to the street, such as parks where families can gather, gyms where the youth can play and stay, or other spaces where communities can exist without being branded a nuisance.
There is more to public safety than eliminating disturbance. A truly safe city isn’t one where disadvantaged people are forced to hide, but one where they can walk at night without fear and with dignity.
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