Woman cries foul after getting ticket for ‘short shorts’ in Caloocan

A woman in Caloocan City complained after getting a ticket violation from a police officer because of the length of her shorts.

Carmina said she left the house on Monday to deliver products to her customer when a police officer gave her a ticket that serves as warning.

“Akala ko po tungkol po sa mask 'yung nilapit niya sa akin kasi po hawak ko po 'yung mask ko noon. Ang sabi niya po yung maikling short daw titiketan daw po niya ako. Tapos sabi ko paano po yun sir hindi ko po alam na bawal ang maiksing short,” Carmina said in Jun Veneracion’s “24 Oras” report on Wednesday.

(I thought the violation was about the mask because when he approached me I was holding my mask, but he said the ticket warning was about wearing short shorts. I complained that I did not know that wearing shorts is forbidden.)

“Halos lahat naman po talaga naka-short na po, eh sabi nga po ng matatanda doon paano naman kami nagshoshort din huhulihin din ba nila matanda na kami,” she added.

(Almost everyone is also wearing shorts, even the elderly people there. The seniors wonder if they will be arrested because the also wear shorts.)

Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan said he will order an investigation into the matter.

Based on a city ordinance passed in 2007 on dress code in public places, all persons must be properly and decently dressed while in public places within the city.

It also stated that vendors in markets are prohibited from being topless or half-naked and also not alloed to wear shorts, “short shorts,” “sando” or any sleeveless shirt or blouse, dirty or tattered clothes and slippers.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines (UP) law professor and lawyer Rowena Daroy-Morales said the ordinance has many loopholes, one of which was not stating the specific appropriate and acceptable clothing that the residents should follow, which can be used to question the legality of the ordinance.

“Every law and an ordinance is a law, is presumed constitutional unless it is questioned, so it is the court that will say it is against the law or it is not in violation of the law,” Daroy-Morales said.

“Ordinance is valid until it is attacked on the basis of constitutionality,” she added.—Richa Noriega/LDF, GMA News