CEBU CITY – The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) has formed a special team that will arrest street carolers around the city after receiving reports that robbers and thieves are disguising themselves as carolers but are actually spotting for their for prey.

CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador has tasked a team from the Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) to arrest street carolers based on the Anti-Caroling Ordinance of the city that was approved in 2008.

Comendador said he has also given the WCPD specific instructions to submit to him its weekly monitoring and evaluation of the activity tasked to group.

Although they are not allowed to detain minors, he added they are doing their job as police in maintaining peace and order in the city.

Also, he said they do not want the public to say that they are doing nothing on this matter especially that Christmas is fast approaching and more carolers are expected to ask money from people.

Councilor Edgardo Labella, who chairs the committee on laws, said City Ordinance 1931 has long been in effect but a lot of children, including young adults, can still be seen trudging major roads, knocking on cars or getting inside jeepneys to carol.

“We have long approved the ordinance that prohibits caroling in major roads but it seems that we are having problems with the implementation,” said Labella, as he urged Comendador to peruse the ordinance and order city policemen to implement it.

The activity not only adds up to the traffic congestion but also is hazardous to children who jump from one vehicle to the other to carol.

Labella said he has also furnished officials of Parents Teachers and Community Association in city schools so that schoolchildren will know that it is illegal to carol along major streets here.