• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez has directed all barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to implement the curfew ordinance for minors, as one way to thwart acts of vandalism.
Benitez, in Executive Order 025-2024, dated April 24 and made public Thursday, said the curfew would “discourage and/or restrict the presence of underage individuals in public places during specific hours, typically during late evening and early morning hours, when unsupervised activities may pose risks to their safety and well-being”.
The EO creates the Task Force Against Vandalism in Bacolod as the mayor noted the proliferation of acts of vandalism in public and private areas of the city, including but not limited to walls, doors, bridges, overpass, and even inside some of the school properties.
There shall be heightened police visibility to monitor high-risk areas prone to vandalism, deter potential offenders, and apprehend individuals caught in the act of vandalizing a property, the EO stressed.
There is need to form a task force to strictly implement measures to curb the proliferation of vandalism in the city, Benitez stressed, adding that damage caused by graffiti-related vandalism depreciates the value of the property it defaces, and costs the City and affected property owners in cleanup expenses each year.
“Bacolod aspires to become a community free of all forms of vandalism visible along its streets, public and open spaces,” the mayor said in the EO.
City Ordinance 08-14-679 imposes penalties in a bid to stop vandalism in Bacolod.
Authored by then councilors Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Caesar Distrito, and passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on July 9, 2014, the ordinance states that first-time offender shall be fined P3,000 and imprisonment of three months minimum; and P5,000 for succeeding offenses plus jail term on six months minimum.
The offender shall also pay for the restoration of the property vandalized.
If the violator is 15 years old or below, the civil liability shall be shouldered by the parents; and if 15-18 years old, s/he shall restore the property plus service to the school, if enrolled, or community service to the barangay.
“Vandalism has an adverse effect on the quality of life in various communities in Bacolod, creating an undesirable impression of disorder and lawlessness in the city,” said Benitez, who chairs the task force, with the city legal officer as vice-chairperson.
The members include all 61 punong barangays, the Bacolod police, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, Department of Social Services and Development, and other concerned offices. | CGC
