The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance promoting public safety education and awareness among elementary, junior high school, senior high school, vocational and college students in the city to develop safety and security awareness among the citizenry and for other purposes.
The ordinance authored by Councilors Francisco Roberto Pacoy Ortega VI and Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon states it shall be a policy of the city government to involve all its citizens, including the youth, in the promotion of safety and security, which are prerequisites for the development of the community in keeping the obligations of responsible citizenship.
The ordinance added that there shall be a Public Safety Education and Awareness Program to be incorporated into the Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) curriculum standards for all public and private educational institutions within the city subject to guidelines set by the said agencies.
For the purpose of accomplishing the objectives of the measure, among the strategies that will be adopted include the incorporation of public education and awareness among students from the elementary up to the college levels; education of the students on the consciousness of crime prevention, emergency and other public safety undertakings; education of students on the consciousness to report crimes, accidents and other public safety concerns to the proper authorities and to the city emergency hotline; education of students on how to respond to such emergencies arising from crimes or accidents either personally or as a witness; education of students on how to effectively monitor potential criminal acts and safety violations that may lead to accidents; education of students on the existence of an emergency hotline number and how to safeguard the emergency hotline number from prank calls and unnecessary calls; education of students on the ill effects of prank calls and illegitimate calls to the emergency hotline and assure the students that their call will be promptly responded by the emergency hotline.
The ordinance stipulates the education department, TESDA and CHED shall incorporate in their curriculum standards of all public and private schools and educational institutions within the city the subject Public Safety Education and Awareness and establish an evaluation mechanism on the effects and results of the said program.
According to the proposal, the progressive development of the public safety education and awareness program shall include the intervention of non-government organizations (NGOs) or private sector of various community or sectoral groups.
The ordinance tasked the education department, TESDA and CHED, in coordination with the Office of the City Mayor, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed measure 60 days after its approval.
Section 5, Article 2 of the Philippine Constitution provides that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy.
Section 13, Article 2 also states that the State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.
By Dexter A. See
