PALO, Leyte — A total of 336 violations of provincial, city and municipal ordinances were recorded across Eastern Visayas in connection with the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) “Safer Cities” initiative.

The Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) said the violations included 238 curfew infractions, 54 cases of drinking in public places, 35 incidents of half-naked individuals in public areas, and nine late-night videoke disturbances.

Data showed that 50 violators were fined, while 286 were reprimanded in accordance with existing local ordinances.

PRO-8 regional director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said the campaign is aimed at instilling grassroots discipline to achieve long-term peace and order.

“Our focus on these ordinances is a vital part of our mission to ensure that our streets are safe and peaceful for every Waraynon. Discipline at the local level is the foundation of true regional security,” Capoy said.

However, a lawyers’ group criticized the campaign, calling it a “sweeping and punitive operation aimed at ordinary people, most of them from poor communities, for acts tied to daily life.”

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla cannot create crimes through a press conference, even if the agency invokes its supervisory authority over local governments.

“Only Congress, or local government units acting within their jurisdiction through valid ordinances, can define prohibited conduct and impose penalties,” the group said in a statement.