• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod administrator, Atty. Mark Steven Mayo, has called on all city government employees July 13 to participate in the city’s ongoing campaign against illegal waste dumping.
Speaking at the flag-raising ceremony, Mayo acknowledged that because “citizen’s arrests” carry legal limitations, not everyone is equipped or capable of performing them safely.
Instead, he urged employees to use their smartphones to record videos whenever they witness individuals discarding garbage in prohibited public areas.
“If you see someone dumping illegally, please take videos, including the plate number, the face,” he said.
The video clips should then be forwarded immediately to their respective department heads, who will formally report the incidents to the City Legal Office and to Mayor Greg Gasataya for immediate action.
Mayo assured employees that they cannot be sued for video voyeurism since that charge only applies if the person being recorded has a reasonable expectation of privacy.
“It means, if I am in a public place and you take video of me, I don’t have expectations of privacy, especially if I’m doing a crime,” Mayo explained. | TMD
