A city councilor passed a resolution on Thursday requesting police, barangay officials and special task groups to monitor schools in the city in a bid to avert disturbances caused by street gangs in campuses.

City Council peace and order committee chair Councilor Eliezer Borja who filed the resolution cited the resurgence of street gangs after police visibility around campuses have been lowered.

Borja said that gang members have reportedly been extorting students and beating up those who refuse to shell out money.

The said members who are mostly minors also allegedly recruit other students and destroy city property such as closed-circuit television cameras.

Borja bared that the Mansasa National High School had emerged as the school with most number of gang members both inside and outside its campus.

The Doctor Cecilio Putong National High School purportedly held the record of most gang members before but the hold of various factions in the school started to diminish.

According to Borja, the presence of police, barangay tanods and Active Local Emergency Response Team (ALERT) personnel are needed to crackdown on street gangs which have been a cause of terror for students.

As most members of various gangs are minors, criminal complaints cannot be filed against them causing the said youths to repeatedly commit their offenses without fear of legal punishment.

However, Borja warned leaders of gangs who are of legal age as he issued a reminder that cases can be filed against them and that they could be sent to prison.

The city legislator also urged parents and guardians of those who are involved in gang activities to impose discipline on the delinquents who have been disturbing the peace around campuses and in the city. (Allen Doydora) 

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