• CHERYL G. CRUZ / THERESA MAE DULMAN
A septuagenarian resident has complained of excessive noise and nuisance from a pickleball court operation even during late hours of the night at 13th Lacson Street in Bacolod City, and sought the assistance of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
“We have been patient. We have asked nicely. We have reported it. Now, we are asking for a permanent solution and basic consideration for the people living and staying nearby,” the elderly woman said in her letter to the SP, that in turn, agreed Sept. 30 to endorse the concern to the City Legal Office for appropriate action.
She said the operation of the open pickleball court is “in total disregard of the nuisance caused by the excessive noise of the popping sound of the pickleball, (and) of players cheering and shouting.”
“The only barrier that separates the paddle court from our house is our perimeter fence, made only of cyclone wire covered with bamboo slats,” the complainant said. “They did not build a concrete fence or make/place some acoustic barriers to minimize the loudness and disturbance/nuisance.”
In an earlier letter-complaint to Barangay 7 punong barangay Hercy Sibug, the resident also said that “despite previous talks, police blotters and police visitation after 10 p.m., the disturbance continues and it affects the health, sleep, and peace of the residents in the area, especially for me, a senior citizen, and my household.”
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the SP Committee on Ordinances and Good Governance, told his colleagues during their session Wednesday that this is the first formal complaint received by the sanggunian regarding pickleball operation in the highly-urbanized city.
He told reporters Oct. 1 that while he supports the sport, playing pickleball should not compromise the peace, comfort, and wellbeing of the surrounding community, adding his committee is reviewing appropriate regulatory measures to address the resident’s concerns.
Espino noted that local officials are looking into potential regulations for outdoor pickleball courts in Bacolod, and said that in Dumaguete City, its SP already enacted an ordinance prohibiting open courts from operating after 10 p.m. due to noise complaints.
Dumaguete City, which is considered the pickleball capital of the Philippines, has 300 registered courts, he said. “In Bacolod, we are starting to get there, it’s gradually increasing, but we are keeping an eye” on its operations and regulations. | CGC, TMD
