The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) revealed yesterday that only three out of the thousands of violators of local ordinances remain under police custody.

NCRPO director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, in a statement, said 28,087 were apprehended or arrested in NCR from 5 a.m. of June 13 to 5 a.m. of July 3, and 14,801 individuals of the total violators were given a warning.

The rest of the violators, numbering 9,118, were slapped with fines while the remaining 4,268 violators were charged.

Of the three remaining violators who are still in detention, two are under the custody of the Manila Police District (MPD) while one is under the Northern Police District (NPD) as of 5 a.m. of yesterday.

This development came after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered authorities to step up their campaign against loiterers or tambays nearly three weeks ago.

The Eastern Police District (EPD), Southern Police District (SPD) and Quezon City Police District (QPCD) have no remaining violators of local ordinances under their custody.

Out of the ordinances being enforced by authorities, the violation on the smoking ban remains on top with 8,308 apprehensions.

On violation of curfew hours, the NCRPO revealed that 4,943 minors were apprehended while 4,150 were nabbed for being half-naked.

This follows the 4,139 arrested for drinking in public places and 6,547 violators for “other ordinances” that were not specified by the NCRPO.

Nearly half of the total number of local ordinances violators or 42.50 percent came from the EPD with 11,937 violators apprehended. The SPD followed with 6,047 (21.53 percent), QCPD with 4,324 (15.40 percent), MPD with 2,950 (10.50 percent) and NPD with 2,829 (10.07 percent).

The Philippine National Police has stopped using the term tambay in its reports as authorities maintained that mere loiterers were not arrested or apprehended, but only those who violated local ordinances.

The crackdown on local ordinances violators has been heavily criticized following the death of Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo while in police custody.

On June 25, Duterte told police not to mind criticisms and continue apprehending idlers in the streets, including minors.

He also directed authorities to frisk loiterers, saying it was within his power to order such “to protect the general welfare of the people.”