• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Councilor Jason Villarosa is proposing to require the registration of remotely-piloted aircraft systems, or drones, in Bacolod City and to declare areas as no-fly zones.
“A notable increase in the number of drones within the City prompted the necessity for their regulation, including the inventory, and limitations as to their use,” Villarosa, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Tourism, said.
He said that considering the accessibility of drones, Bacolod has become a venue for their operations, both for commercial and recreational purposes, hence the need to regulate them.
In his proposed Bacolod City Drone Ordinance approved on first reading by the SP Nov. 13, Villarosa said no person shall operate am unregistered drone, at any time, within the airspace of Bacolod.
The registration shall be with the city’s Management Information Technology and Computer Services (MITCS) after payment of corresponding fees.
“No person shall operate a drone, whether registered or unregistered, in prohibited or restricted airspace, no-fly zones, vital government installations, or other areas prohibited by law or regulations, unless permitted by the proper government authorities exercising control or jurisdiction in the area,” the proposal said, adding that a person intending to operate a drone within or near a vital government installation must secure the approval of said government instrumentality or agency.
For non-registration, or transfer, falsification or alteration of issued registration, Villarosa is proposing a fine of P1,000 for the first offense, and confiscation of the drone and a fine of P1,000 for the second offense.
For operating a drone in a no-fly zone, a first-time offender shall be fined P1,000, P5,000 for the second offense, and the confiscation of the drone, a fine of P10,000, or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both, at the discretion of the court, for the third offense.
The confiscated drones shall be turned over to the Bacolod City government, the proposed ordinance said. “Any regulatory fees associated to these drones shall be accounted for, and shall redound to the general funds of the city so as to defray the expenses of documentation, device identification, and recording purposes.”
This ordinance aims to promote security, safety, and privacy, Villarosa said, but stressed that exemptions should be made for law enforcement agencies, emergency management offices, and those duly-authorized by the City in the performance of their duties.
Since Bacolod has an existing City Ordinance No. 997, passed in 2022, prohibiting drone operations within a 100-meter radius from jail facilities, the additional no-fly zones shall be left to the discretion of the mayor, Villarosa said. | CGC
