By NITZ ARANCON
with LITO RULONA
Correspondents .
CITY hall rescuers yesterday rushed a 26-year old woman to a hospital after she collapsed inside a police station where she and her friends were held for hours for merely drinking beer outdoors at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Carmen.
Katheryn Amoguis, who has no police record, faltered as her blood pressure shot up to 159/90 while in detention, hours after police arrested her and her companions outside the convenience store on late Thursday night as part of the Duterte administration’s crackdown on the “tambay” (loiterers/idlers).
Police said Amoguis and her group were arrested at around 11:30 pm Thursday for violating a city ordinance that prohibits drinking of intoxicating drinks in public places. By 4 am yesterday, she broke down inside the police station and was rushed to the city hall-owned JR Borja Memorial General Hospital.
She was discharged from the hospital at around 8 am, brought back to the police station, and then released, according to city administrator Teodoro Sabuga-a who is monitoring the ongoing “anti-tambay” campaign of the police in the city.
Amoguis is among the 91 “tambay” who were arrested during the first few hours of the police campaign here.
City police director Senior Supt. Nelson Aganon said the police cannot assume responsibility for the health problems of those arrested in the “anti-tambay” campaign or help them with their medical or hospital bills.
“Siya na ang magbayad kasi hindi na man kasalanan ng pulis kung bakit nahuli siya kasi nan doon siya sa labas,” said Aganon.
Police said those arrested violated the city ordinance that bans drinking sessions outdoors, in public places. Violators face an imprisonment of up to four months and fines as much as P1,500 each or both.
City Ordinance 5133-95 however specified what these public places are: public plazas, parks, roads, sidewalks and alleys of the city and barangays.
Some of the “tambay” said they were not arrested in the areas specified in the city ordinance.
Roy Royo of Camella Homes, one of the 26 people arrested in Carmen, said he and his friends were not in a public property or in any of the public places stated in the ordinance when the police pounced on them.
Royo said they were at a table outside a store within a privately owned gasoline station at Ilaya, Carmen.
He said he only learned about the city ordinance when the police arrested his group.
“Nag-order mi. Gitaga-an man pud mi nila. Wala man sila magsulti nga gidili na diay ang pag-inom sa public place. Pag-abot sa pulis, nadakpan mi,” Royo said.
Another, Jonathan Aboc, complained. “Akong nahibaw-an kadto ra man ang mga bystanders. Diha man kami sulod sa 7-Eleven nag-inum, unya wala man kami pahibaw-a sa taga-7-Eleven nga gidili na diay ang pag-inum-inum karon.”
Another complained because he was collared by officers while he was merely waiting for a friend who was buying something inside a convenience store.
Next to the Carmen police, officers from the Cogon police station arrested the most number of “tambay” with 19.
City police spokesman Supt. Mardy Hortillosa said there were many more who were arrested and brought to the police stations in Divisoria, Cogon, Agora in Lapasan, and Macasandig, among others.
Hortillosa said all would be charged with violation of City Ordinance 5133-95.
A total of 564 people, excluding the catch in Cagayan de Oro since Thursday night, were arrested in the “anti-tambay” campaign throughout Region 10 since June 13, according to Camp Alagar spokesman Supt. Surki Sereñas.
Sereñas said those arrested merely violated local ordinances that are punishable with fines.
Hortillosa said public notices were issued about the campaign.
He also warned owners of sari-sari stores, saying they cannot allow people to drink outside their business area.
“Mas maayo gani ang kung mag-inum gyud didto na sulod sa ilang mga balay. This will prevent crimes from being committed in the streets,” he said.
Hortillosa said officers have been given instructions to advise the “tambay” to go home but if they refuse, they can be arrested.
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