City Ordinance 101

By Egay Uy

NEWS:  “Acenas draws flak over US travel advisory claim.”

The vice mayor reportedly issued a statement saying that the United States has issued a travel advisory on Cagayan de Oro City, but which was practically rebuked by Cagayan de Oro Travel and Tours Association (Cotta) president Tito Mora as being irresponsible and as inviting of negative perceptions of the city.  He advised the vice mayor to just stick to holding the gavel once a week instead of issuing irresponsible statements.

Grow up, will you?!

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Received this text message from Doy Ramiro of the CRCD:  “Oliver [Walag], Ben [Contreras], Dave [Agudo], Dodong [Baloncio] will start at 4pm.  Please charge radios and bring megaphones.  The rest will catch up.  See you everyone.  Will furnish Atty. Egay with this info.  Go CRCD!”

This refers to the deployment by CRCD of its volunteers at a major junction as part of the engagement of this volunteer group to assist the RTA in ensuring a smooth traffic flow in the choke points of the City.  I understand the CRCD is accepting more volunteers to its fold.

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My reading of some city ordinances led me to Section 101 of the codified ordinance.  It reads: “No person shall destroy, post, paint, stamp or otherwise affix any bill, poster, notice, or sign to or upon the marker installed, or to cut, mark, deface, obstruct, or injure any tree, grass, shrub, gutter, monument, enclosure, structure, fence, basin, fountain seat, bench or other thing or property, in or belonging to the Isla de Oro or to cast, throw, drop, scatter, place in or upon any part of the said island any refuse, peeling, cigarette butt, waste paper, handbill, pamphlet, circular, or any advertisement, or thing injurious, unhealthful or unsanitary to the same.  IN NO CASE SHALL ANY PERSON BE ALLOWED TO LIVE AND/OR RESIDE IN SAID ‘ISLA DE ORO’.”

The said ordinance itself has the last sentence in capital letters.

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The codified ordinance categorically prohibits parking of motor vehicles along sidewalks.  Section 704 provides, “No   business  establishments occupying commercial buildings along side of any public road or street or occupants thereof shall park  on the sidewalk or portions thereof as its/their parking area or use the same as parking area for the clients or customers.”

And Section 705 provides the penalty thus, “Any person violating the provisions of the preceding section shall be punished with a fine of not less than P500.00 nor more than P1,500.00 or an imprisonment of not less than one (1) month and ten (10) days nor more than four (4) months, or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.”