The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved a resolution urging the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) to clear and clean all walkways, pathways, stairways and sidewalks at parks of moss, debris, and litters that could cause injury to persons.
In the said resolution, Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon stated that the CEPMO, together with the city’s 128 barangays, should lead in clearing and cleaning the various parks, sidewalks, and pathways from moss, debris, and litters to ensure the safety of all people from injuries during the rainy season.
Further, it is important that the city government prioritizes the safety of the people to prevent them from contracting unnecessary injuries that may compromise their productivity, thus, the need to ensure that all walkways, pathways, stairways and sidewalks will be free from any debris that may cause the occurrence untoward incidents that may compromise their safety, especially with the onset of the rainy season.
Section 16 of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines assures that every local government unit shall exercise the powers expressly granted, those necessarily implied therefrom, as well as powers necessary, appropriate or incidental for its efficient and effective governance, and those which are essential to the promotion of the general welfare. Within their respective territorial jurisdiction, local government units shall ensure and support, among other things, the preservation and enrichment of culture, promote health and safety, enhance the right of the people to a balanced ecology, encourage and support the development of appropriate and self-reliant scientific and technological capabilities, improve public morals, enhance economic prosperity and social justice, promote full employment among their residents, maintain peace and order, and preserve the comfort and convenience of their inhabitants.
The council stipulated that during the wet season, heavy rains, combined with moss, debris, and litters on parks, sidewalks and pathways can cause people to slip and fall resulting in injuries that could be avoided.
