By Paulo Loreto Lim

The Iloilo City government, through the Task Force Moral and Value Formation, will be monitoring lodging facilities across the city today, Valentine’s Day, in an effort to enforce Regulation Ordinance ‎2015-447, which seeks to protect children from being trafficked.

Task Force chair Jorge Duron said two members of the team will be assigned to each of the 16 lodging establishments in the city, where a saturation drive will commence from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

According to the resolution, minors, defined as any person below the age of 18, are not allowed entry into a lodging facility. In addition, any individual attempting to check-in with a minor is subject to a search.

The law also considers any individual in the company of a minor, or somebody 10 or more years their junior, at an establishment like a hotel, motel, or pension house, and is not a family member an unlawful action.

Any individual caught in violation of the policy, or any business owner who fails to report such a situation to law enforcement, is subject to a P5,000 fine and up to one year in prison. Business owners also may see their business permit revoked./PLL, WDJ