Probe on vs Baguio gang, graffiti problems

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Benjamin Magalong said investigation is continuing on vandalism and gang problems in this summer capital.
    The mayor said a team of investigators from city government offices and Baguio City Police Office has been looking into the concern and identified some personalities suspected behind proliferation of graffiti in the city.
    "It is saddening that some gangs continue to engage in vandalism to the detriment of the city's clean and orderly program but we are working closely with the BCPO to put an end to this problem," the mayor said.
    He said part of the investigation is the study of the graffiti that mar public and private structures all over the city.
    "These graffiti are symbols and they have message.  We are studying them to know their implications with the hope of addressing the problem on gangs in our city," he said.
    Earlier, Public Order and Safety Division Head Enforcer Daryll Longid expressed confidence that investigations will soon lead to the identification and prosecution of the culprits.
    He said he has reasons to believe that some "self-proclaimed artists" in the same league as the one who was caught vandalizing a mural artist's work in 2020 are involved.
     “These despicable acts these self-proclaimed artists are doing are not art.  Far from it. There's nothing artistic about defacing public and private properties.  If anything these artist wannabes are nothing more than scalawags. We will find them and we will prosecute them,” Longid warned.