Manila Mayor Francisco Moreno has recently ordered a ban on selling secondhand mobile phones around the city of Manila.
According to Moreno in a press conference, this is one way to stop snatchers as it takes away their means of selling stolen goods. He also said that this is a direct order for business establishments to follow immediately.
The announcement was made after a student reported to the Manila Police District (MPD) that he saw his stolen phone in one of the vendor’s kiosks inside Isetann Mall in Recto.
“Whether mall, tiangge, o tindahan, ipagbabawal ang pagtitinda ng secondhand cellphone sa Lungsod ng Maynila tutal ayaw nila magtino,” Moreno said.
One of the possible punishments for continuous violators is the closure of their business, like how he threatened to shut down the mall if stolen phones were still found to be sold in the area.
“Ipapasara namin yung Isetann kapag napatunayan namin ‘yung claim ng bata. Matigas ang ulo ng Isetann eh, buong mall (ipapasara). Eh kinakalulo niyo yung illegal activities eh. Bakit hindi? Basta napatunayan namin,” Moreno said.
He gave two malls in Recto and Tondo 72 hours to clean their shelves of these stolen gadgets.
Moreno also said that a law on this matter is currently being drafted which will soon be announced to the public.
Header photo courtesy of NordWood Themes on Unsplash
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