Conduct of busking in city to be regulated
The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance regulating the conduct of busking in the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. stated that a Street Performance Committee will be created and shall be composed of the City Mayor as the Chairperson, the City Administrator as Co-Chairperson and the City Treasurer, Head of the Permits and Licensing Division, City Tourism Operations Officer, Chairperson of the Committee on Tourism, Special Events, Parks and Playgrounds and 2 representatives from the accredited musician street performer’s groups in the city.
Street performance or busking is defined as the act of performing in public places for gratuities and that the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drinks or gifts may be given.
Under the proposed measure, no street performer or busker shall perform in a public area without a permit issued to them.
The ordinance stipulated that a busking permit shall be issued by the Permits and Licensing Division to each applicant in exchange for a completed application and a fee of P350, the said fee being at the discretion of the City Mayor and subject to change.
According to the proposal, a completed application for a permit, and the permit itself, shall contain the applicant’s name, residence, address and telephone number, and shall be signed by the applicant.
Further, the said permit shall be valid on the date on which it is issued for a period of one year from the said date and that the same shall be non-transferrable and shall contain the permit number of the applicant and the year in which the same is valid.
On the other hand, one permit may be issued for a group performance of up to a maximum of 3 members and that larger groups require a special permit.
The ordinance emphasized that in no event shall any group of performers of 3 or less, identified as such in their application and noted for their permits, be charged more than the prescribed fee.
Upon issuing a permit, the Permits and Licensing Division shall also give the performer a copy of the rules and regulations for street performers or buskers.
If a performer loses his or her permit, one replacement permit per year may be obtained for a similar fee of P350.
The ordinance requires the performer to clearly display his or her permit while performing, and shall allow inspection of the permit by authorized personnel of the Permits and Licensing Division, Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) or any police officer or personnel or staff of the Street Performance Committee.
The City Mayor may suspend a busking permit for no more than 30 days if a performer is found to have knowingly provided false information in the application or a performer has received 3 non-criminal dispositions within one year. The City Mayor may revoke a permit for the remainder of the year if a performer has received 5 summons during the same year and that a performer may not receive a permit unless all fees from the previous year have been paid. – Dexter A. See
