Thursday, April 24, 2008 [ philstar.com ]
Don’t spit, urinate, throw away used gum or otherwise litter along the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, officials said yesterday.
They also said public utility drivers are banned from unnecessary blowing of horns or picking up passengers at the wrong places; hawkers from occupying the sidewalk, foot bridges or waiting sheds; and people from jaywalking, drinking liquor on the street, and playing videoke or sound systems too loudly.
Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. called it a “big jump,” citing that Commonwealth Avenue has become the second busiest street in the country, next only to EDSA.
“This is one of the biggest experiments in discipline and local governance,” Belmonte said during the launch of the Sumunod sa Batas (Follow the Law) Zone yesterday.
The discipline zone is a project of the local government, the Quezon City Police District and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
Considered a pilot project that will soon be replicated in other cities in the metropolis, Metro Manila police chief Director Geary Barias said the discipline zone aims to put order along the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue.
“Our concern is the recurring peace and order problems like snatching and robbery-hold up activities,” Barias said, noting that averting simple violations on the road would also help in preventing the occurrence of street crimes.
According to the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, other cities will soon be creating other zones of discipline.
He cited that the Manila Police District is planning to create one to encompass Recto Avenue.
“We are envisioning that all (police) districts in Metro Manila will also have this type of zone,” Barias said.
QCPD director Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula said the project will only entail the stricter enforcement of existing laws and local ordinances.
Gatdula said there will be no additional deployment of police personnel in the area but police visibility will definitely be maintained by the three police stations of the QCPD covering areas adjacent to the avenue.
He said there will also be stronger coordination among other enforcers from the MMDA, the city government, and the eight barangays covering the entire stretch of Commonwealth Avenue.
According to Gatdula, violators will only be cautioned against repeating the offense during the first week. By next week, offenders will be faced with sanctions ranging from fines to imprisonment.
Belmonte stressed that the project aims to instill discipline among the people, just like in other foreign cities where peace and order is maintained even without the presence of policemen.
“In other cities, it’s not the presence of the police but the personal discipline of the people… But this (discipline) has to be built up over time,” he said.
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