Operation of Malcolm Square to be regulated
The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance regulating and governing the operation and maintenance of Malcolm Square.
Under the proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Isabelo Cosalan, Jr., admission to the Malcolm Square as a protected landscape is free through the harmonious interaction of man and land while providing opportunities for the public employment through recreation and tourism within the normal lifestyle and economic activity.
Further, all activities carried out in the park shall be subjected to the control, regulation, licensing and permitting by the local government through the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).
However, the local government reserves the right to disallow the conduct of any activity within the said facility.
The ordinance stipulated that payment for the use of area or environmental maintenance fee and permitting are required and mandatory based on Ordinance No. 18, series of 2016 or the city’s Environment Code and other issuances before activities shall be conducted in the said park.
Among the activities that will be allowed in the park include social programs, musical concerns, television shows and film productions, field demonstrations, sports tournaments, skills Olympics or competitions, political rallies, religious and similar activities that are consistent in the use of the same.
On the other hand, the disallowed and prohibited activities include smoking in the park, drinking liquor or alcoholic beverages, bonfires or undue burning, sleep out, walking or displaying of medium to big size dogs or similar pets, pasturing and turning loss of pets and other domesticated animals, destroying, mutilating, picking or cutting, uprooting of flowers and plants, workout or practice driving of 2 or 4-wheeled rides and vehicles, roller skating, skate boarding and similar rides, unnecessary nailing, bolting, posting of any signage in any part of the park, urinating, littering, spitting and spitting of moma, gambling of any kind , personal services like massage, nail spa, henna tattooing, fortune telling using cards or any devices or tools, begging, caroling, marketing or promotion of products or product sampling, peddling of services of goods of any kind, parking of vehicles, private, government or public utility vehicles, destroying, disfiguring, defacing or vandalizing any monuments, implements, amenities, devices, displace signs or any property installed thereat by the government or the use of purposes of hanging any form of advertisements, leaving unmanaged solid waste materials after any event and unattended solid waste materials in designated pick up points for organized events, mixing of concrete or stocking of concrete and stocking of concrete materials, trade fair and dog shows.
Without prejudice to other administrative, civil, or criminal offenses as may be filed against violators on top of summary confiscation or impounding of their properties or animals shall upon conviction be subjected to a fine of P5,000 or imprisonment for a period of not less than 5 days or both at the discretion of the court.
The ordinance tasked the personnel of the Baguio City Police office (BCPO), the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD), CEPO, and other concerned offices to ensure the enforcement of the aforesaid rules and regulations. – Dexter A. See
