BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance prohibiting any person from performing the role of a barker in any part of the city which is not designated as terminal and providing penalties for violations.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. stated that it will be prohibited for any person to perform the role of a barker in any part of the city which is not designated by authorities as terminal of buses, jeepneys and taxis.
The ordinance defined a barker as any person who is engaged in the practice of calling passengers to ride a public utility vehicle parked along the streets, intersections or any place in the city which is not designated as a terminal for jeepneys, taxis and buses.
The City Director of the Baguio City Police (BCPO), the head of the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) and all punong barangays in the city will be responsible for the strict implementation of the proposed measure.
Under the provisions of the proposal, any person found violating pertinent provisions shall be fined P1,000 or render community service for 5 days for the first offense, P3,000 or render community service for 15 days for the second offense and P5,000 or imprisonment of 30 days or both upon the secretion of the court for the third offense.
Yangot underscored in the exercise of its police power, the local legislative body may lay down and pass laws to promote the health, morals, education, good order or safety, and the general welfare of the people and in order to address the traffic situation and to prevent road mishaps, strict measures are called for to remove any prospective form of danger.
According to him, in an impulse to make money, unidentified individuals, particularly bystanders and even minors, who perform the role of barkers in any part of the city, roam around most especially in densely populated areas, street intersections and common routes of passenger vehicles to ply their illegal trade thereby contributing to the monstrous traffic congestions around the city.
He added the unidentified individuals call out for passengers while requiring helpless drivers to park their vehicles on the streets for several minutes and demand a fee for their temporary service.
Subsequently, Yangot claimed other public utility drivers make the unwritten precept in exchange for a full load of passengers before they maneuver to their points of destination inside and outside the city.
The alderman argued the said practice of acting as a barker carries public hazard and causes traffic gridlock, most notably to pedestrians, commuters and motorists alike, thus, the need for the local legislative body to enact the proposed ordinance to prevent unidentified individuals from taking advantage of the situation in performing their illegal activities as barker for passengers of public utility vehicles.
By Dexter A. See