MANILA - "Tambay", derived from the English phrase "stand by", are regular fixtures in most Filipino communities.

They gather together along street corners, whether sharing a drink, swapping stories, or playing games.

Are their days numbered? Maybe, if President Rodrigo Duterte has his way.

"Go home” was his advice to tambay during a speech to newly-promoted law enforcers in Malacañang on June 13.

Calling loiterers as "potential trouble", Duterte said the streets should be for law-abiding citizens, and not a haven of criminals and drug users.

His warning came with what seemed like a threat.

“‘Pag hindi kayo umuwi, ihatid ko kayo doon sa opisina ni ano—Pasig. Ako nang bahala. Ilagay mo lang diyan. Talian mo ‘yung kamay pati—ihulog ko yan diyan sa…"

(If you don’t go home, I would bring you to the office of—Pasig. I’ll take care of it. Just leave it there. Tie the hands—I would throw it there...)

NEW THREAT, OLD PROBLEM

Before the president's statement, authorities were already enforcing existing ordinances in the different parts of the country on curfew covering minors, against drinking in public places and going out half-naked.

Police have conducted operations, such as "Oplan Galugad," "Oplan Rody," "SACLEO," and "one-time, big-time."

For Gina Gaborni, barangay councilor of Barangay 155 in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City, Duterte's statement was music to her ears.

"Even if we call them out over and over, they would always come back. We would find them gambling, sometimes doing nothing but talk, or even find them smelling like marijuana," she said.

Gaborni has filed a resolution in her village that prohibits street loitering beyond midnight, regardless of age.

To protect the youth is her goal.

"What do they do at those times? They are the ones who would be influenced to do drugs," Gaborni said.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Justine Bargola, 17, a pharmacy student, agreed with the proposed stricter measures.

She sometimes walked home fearing for her safety when encountering a group of tambay.

“They would catcall you. Sometimes, they would break out into a fight,” Bargola said.

For 19-year-old Ariel Villamor, who leads a peer group, another restriction wouldn’t hurt.

“We think it’s for our sake too,” he said. “Especially since we’ve heard of shooting incidents in our area.”

For the police, the rationale is simple.

These rules are “quality of life” ordinances against elements that contribute to disorder in communities, said national police spokesman Sr. Supt. Benigno Durana Jr.

“We know from our studies of crime management that disorder encourages commission of crimes. So if you proactively deal with these quality of life problems, you can proactively deter the commission of crime,” he said.

MARTIAL LAW REDUX?

However, the president’s remarks did not sit well with some lawmakers, particularly Duterte’s comment about throwing offenders in the Pasig river.

“Nothing wrong with fighting crime being a responsibility of government. But if you go down to going after tambays and having them thrown in the Pasig river, then something must be afoot now that President Duterte views common crime being a national security threat,” Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin said in a statement.

“Is this martial law redux when even converging in streets will lead you to jail or worse make you disappear in the murky waters of Pasig or somewhere else?

21-year-old Angelice Alcala, who usually hangs out with her friends outside her house in Barangay 155, agreed.

“Hindi lahat ng tambay masama. Hindi lahat ng dis-oras umuuwi may ginagawang mali,” she said.

(Not all loiterers are bad. Not all people who go home late are doing something wrong.)