We must have an enforceable anti-noise law
For our special Yearender and New Year’s Presentation in Straight from the Sky, we have made it a tradition to give our viewers important personalities to give us what they thought of the year 2014 and their hopes and aspirations for the coming New Year. Since the New Year will come this Wednesday, so this show, which starts today will be the last show for the Year 2014 and it is also the first show for the Year 2015.
So it is an honor and a pleasure to bring you the Honorable Mayor of Cebu City, Mayor Michael Rama who will give us his hopes and aspirations for the coming Year 2015. So watch this interesting show on SkyCable’s channel 61 at 8:00 tonight with replays on Wednesday and Saturday. We also have replays in MyTV’s channel 30 at 9:00 p.m. tonight and at 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
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I fully support the move by Mayor Michael Rama who vetoed the Anti-Muffler Modification Ordinance sponsored by Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias because the mayor’s arguments, which I already wrote before are very valid and logical. You cannot put a decibel level of 84 db. for all motorcycles because the sound of the engine always depends upon the size of the motorcycle engine.
The problem perhaps lies upon the fact that the Cebu City Council never bothered to check the sound of muffled engine with a 100 cc and compare it to the muffled sound of a 1,000 cc engine. Secondly, there are thousands upon thousands of small motorcycles with engines ranging from 50 cc to 200 cc that disturb the silence of our city, which means that I also agree that there should be an ordinance to stop this ear-splitting noise. But the ordinance must be well-crafted and most important of all, it should focus on the noise problem in our city, not just on the noise motorcycles make.
But how can the ordinance of Councilor Cabarrubias be implemented when the City of Cebu or its enforcing arm, the Cebu City Traffic Operations & Management, doesn’t even have decibel counters to measure sound levels?
Then what are the provisions for multiple violations or recidivism, these are violators who have been caught more than once for the same offense, which for me is the biggest enforcement problem in this country, not just in Cebu? In the United States, they have what they call a “Strike three you’re out!” It may be a baseball term, but they apparently applied it to traffic violators. Alas, even the Land Transportation Office, which handles all law enforcement in this country, cannot even put this as one of the reforms of the Aquino Regime. Yet they continue to brag that they have made reforms, which they can see from their jaundiced eyes only!
How many drivers have violated our traffic laws with impunity? This is why where is no discipline in our roads today because reckless, or worse, dangerous drivers who shouldn’t be allowed to drive continue driving after paying their fines. In fact, many jeepney drivers don’t even pay their fines because CITOM just “forgives” those fines and penalties because they have become too large that the drivers can no longer afford to pay them. I submit this happened during my stint as CITOM chairman!
This ordinance also doesn’t have any provisions in stopping discorrals. How many times in the past have we complained about those noisy discorrals, which thump, thump can be heard in all the barangays and sitios at ear-splitting decibels. Yet even barangay captains or the police are helpless in stopping them. So how does the city stop this noise?
Someone already told me that there is already a law against this type of noise yet we hear them every night whenever there is a fiesta or celebration in our barangay. They affect all citizens of Cebu City who just want a good night’s sleep, not to mention that children need to sleep and have a good night’s rest to prepare them for school the following day.
I’d like to point out to Honorable Cabarrubias that we support his ordinance, but first and foremost, it must be implementable. Secondly it should have a clause on recidivism, meaning repeat offenders must be punished to the point that they won’t be allowed to ride their motorcycles again, and, in the case of discorrals, their business permits should be cancelled.
Finally, there should be an implementing arm to stop these noise offenders. Only then can Cebuanos sigh their relief. So let Cebu City lead the way in enforcing an anti-noise law.
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