Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III wants the four youths who snatched his cellphone in the City of Manila last Friday to be reformed.
(ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"He hopes to be able to help them be reformed. He doesn't intend to see them imprisoned," DOLE Information and Publication Service Director Rolly Francia said in an online forum Monday.
"His idea was to have the four reformed and change their lives while they are still young by providing them jobs," he added.
Bello met the four suspects on Monday together with the Manila Police District (MPD) at the DOLE office in Intramuros.
Francia said Bello wants the one who bought his phone charged and jailed.
"Secretary Bello was saying no one will attempt to snatch cellphones if there are no buyers of snatched cellphones," he said.
The mobile phone of Bello, which was recovered already, was snatched in the vicinity of the Manila City Hall and Mehan Garden last Friday.
The four suspects, aged 15 to 18 years old, were later apprehended by the MPD personnel.
The individual who bought Bello's phone was also arrested.