Asa nindot puy-an or suroyan: Cebu or Davao?

[HapiGoLucky]

---

very very very peaceful sa davao ang ilang extreme sports supportado unlike dire!!!

[maione]

Spitting banned in Davao City
By Dennis Jay Santos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:21:00 08/17/2009

Filed Under: Government, Health
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Spitting just anywhere in the city could now land you in jail.
On Tuesday, the [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]city [COLOR=blue ! important]council[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] passed an ordinance that bans spitting in public places.
The main reason for the passage of the anti-spitting ordinance, the latest in the city’s growing list of dos and don’ts, is not only to stem the “nasty habit but to protect the health of the people as well,” said the proponent, Councilor Samuel Bangoy.
The measure is timely because of the A(H1N1) pandemic and other life-threatening diseases which could be transmitted by air from one’s saliva, Bangoy said.
In adopting the [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]law[/COLOR][/COLOR], Bangoy said his office studied the anti-spitting laws that France passed in 1880 and America in 1896.
During that time, the aim was also to control the spread of deadly diseases.
“Many of these diseases can spread by air and spitting,” said Bangoy, a radiologist who chairs the council’s health committee.
“There are people who will spit just anywhere like in malls, cinemas, or in public transportation,” he said.
Bangoy said people should also learn to carry a handkerchief or tissue paper at all times because these would be helpful if they could not control spitting.
“You can always use a handkerchief, a napkin, and look for a proper place to discard your saliva,” he said.
He said violators would be fined P100 for the first offense, P200 for the second offense, and P300 for the third offense.
“In case of insolvency, the court may grant a subsidiary imprisonment of not more than six months; or at its discretion, may slap both fine and imprisonment,” Bangoy said.
Asked what he hopes the ordinance would bring to the city, Bangoy said: “This can also bring about personal change and has ethical value as well.”
Tony Ajero, a publisher of a local tabloid here, described the measure as “novel, timely, and healthy in the light of so many reasons.”
“It can also be good for tourism,” he said.

[maione]

The Brunei Times The Miracle of Davao City


Sign of the times: Davao City's blanket no-smoking campaign is having a healthy, unprecedented effect on its population. Picture: BT/Chiew Chee Phoong


Chiew Chee Phoong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, August 30, 2009



THE Airbus 319 of Cebu Pacific made its final descent to Davao International Airport. The flight attendant announced upon landing, "We would like to inform you of the Smoking Ban in Davao City. Smoking is strictly prohibited in public places of the city, including the airport and its premises. Let's help make Davao Smoke-Free."

Amazing, isn't it? This was the first time that I had visited a smoke-free city. To date, Davao is still the only city amongst the 1,631 cities and municipalities in the Philippines that is strictly implementing the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003.

During my eight days' stay, I didn't see a single soul smoking in any food establishments, dance halls, night clubs or even in the parks, streets and markets, which are deemed public places. Representatives from many cities in the Philippines, and a group from Vietnam, have all come to learn from Davao. A delegation from Bangkok will visit there in September.

One night along some busy streets, I did see some "tak tak" boys selling cigarettes from vendors, but there seemed to be more sellers than buyers. To top it off, after making a concerted effort, I still failed to spot any transactions being concluded.

Amid my amazement, I dropped by Davao City Hall to interview Dr Domilyn Villarreiz, the chief of the Anti-Smoking Task Force, to find out the secret behind this huge success in the largest city of Mindanao, home to 1.4 million people.

Chiew: When did you start the comprehensive ban on smoking in Davao?

Villarreiz: The law was implemented on November 9, 2002. In May 2002, we started our public information campaign, and in November we started apprehending violators.

What is the fine for smoking?

The fine is 500 to 10,000 pesos ($15-$300). The first offence is about 500 to 1,000 pesos ($15-$30), the second offence is 1,000 to 5,000 pesos ($30-$150), and the third offence is 5,000 to 10,000 pesos ($150-$300).

And for the establishments who do not comply with the requirements, the fine will be about 5,000 pesos ($150) or not more than 30 days imprisonment, or both, plus the cancellation or revocation of their business permits and other licences.

At the beginning, were there a lot of difficulties or problems?

Yes, of course. Some owners and managers of establishments, especially night spots, night clubs and coffee shops, thought that because they catered to customers who drink alcoholic beverages or drink coffee, that those customers smoke at the same time. But of course they adjusted to it later because we stressed to them that this was for the good of their customers, and that most Filipinos were non-smokers.So you are backed up by this majority?

Yes. We had a silent minority before, but now they help us in our advocacy, and help us to educate smokers that these places do not allow smoking.

Actually, we are not saying that you should stop smoking right away. Since we started this campaign seven years ago, three things have happened to our smokers.

One, they have stopped smoking because there are only a few places where they can smoke. Also, cigarettes are not readily accessible because only a few places sell cigarettes. We don't allow the sale of cigarettes within 100 metres of schools and recreational facilities. So smokers have to look for places that sell cigarettes.

Second, they have reduced the number of sticks they puff every day. So, if they were not able to stop, they will cut down. A person who smoked 10 sticks per day will cut down to eight or five.

The third thing is that we now have disciplined and responsible smokers, which means that if they go out, they look for a place where they are allowed to smoke. They don't just smoke anywhere.

We have received information from our media partners that when our smokers go to other cities like Cebu, which allows smoking anywhere, they do not smoke inside the buildings even if they are allowed to. Instead, they go outside to look for a smoking area.

Just now I saw a no-smoking sign in the park.

Yes, there is no smoking in the park. Even though it is an open area, it is still considered a public place. We include places where people converge or congregate, such as parks, public playgrounds and markets.

So, in parks where people converge during programmes, rallies and concerts, we don't allow people to smoke in them.

People's Park is one of our model parks in Davao for being smoke-free, where we do not allow people to bring in cigarettes, lighters and matches.

Do you search them?

There are guards who do it. One time, the mayor and the task force torched, for symbolic purpose, all the cigarettes that had been confiscated.Did you face any resistance or any lobbying from cigarette companies? Did they put any pressure on you?

They wrote a letter to the mayor but of course we did not respond to it. There is a certain World Health Organisation article called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, or FCTC, to which the Philippines and I think also Brunei is one of the signatories.

This (FCTC) says that there should be no tobacco industry interference in any law or any activity of a member party. So we should not engage in any activity with the tobacco industry, and they should not interfere with the implementation of any law.

Also, we are reminded of the corporate social responsibility of the tobacco industry, and that we should not accept any money for any activity from the industry.

Meaning they cannot be the sponsors of any activity?

Correct, not even concerts or any Formula One race. They should not be in it anymore. I think about 163 countries are signatories to the FCTC.

What is the organisational structure of the task force?

The Mayor of Davao is the head. He is the honorary chairperson and is represented by the city administrator during our meetings. I'm the co-chairperson, and under us are the City Health Office as well as the legal, business, tourism, public works and city information offices and the Davao City Police Office.

How do you enforce the law?

Each of these offices has representatives, and we conduct inspections of establishments. We have a flowchart on how to do things. The first step is being inspected by city engineers to ensure compliance by establishments.

Did any non-governmental organisations help?

Aside from the task force, I have set up the Association of Smoke-free Davao Advocates, which is comprised of religious leaders including Muslim leaders, community leaders and health professionals who helped us with our public information campaign, advocacy and monitoring of establishments. We have more than 1,000 members and they are very active in monitoring.

We also have the support of medical organisations, especially in conducting lectures in schools, communities and work places.

Do you have visitors coming to Davao to find out about, or maybe even attempt to emulate, your model?

Actually, a lot of visitors come to the city. Last year we had visitors from Hanoi. They just came for a study tour. In May this year there were seven groups from Metro Manila, and this September we will have visitors from Bangkok. They want to see how we are doing it in Davao.

It feels very good when we visit the restaurants here, with not even one smoker in sight.

People will stare at you if you smoke in the restaurants. And if somebody smokes inside, they can actually call 911.

Our 911 also provides support when it comes to smoking violation. Anything that requires police activity, apprehension, law violation, 911 will respond.

They don't have 911 (to respond to anti-smoking) in other cities of Philippines, only Davao City.

Smoking is still a smoker's choice. Where can people smoke in this city?

They can smoke only in their houses. When we started (in 2002), the mayor said in his speech during the launch that if you want to smoke, there are three places that you can smoke in Davao: You climb Mt Apo (the highest peak in the Philippines); you cross the sea to the other islands; or you can go to the cemetery, because that is where you are going anyway.

The Brunei Times

basta taga davao mga DCplinado

[maione]

With the completion of Davao city’s state-of-the-art Public Safety Command Center (PSCC) which is the sole facility ever mounted in the soil of the Philippines and with the city’s very own weather monitoring and disaster alert system installation, is it safe (or right) to say that Davao City doesn’t need the PAGASA anymore?
While reading skyscrapercity.com, an online forum for development and construction enthusiasts, a user’s post caught my attention and left me a big and interesting question. With these equipments we have right now, do we still need to rely on PAGASA to tell us what will be our weather condition everyday? PAGASA has been dumped for several times now due to inaccuracies in weather forecasting that has been witnessed during the devastation of the previous typhoons that have recently hit the northern part of the country.
That’s the big question that was bugging my mind to death since this afternoon, the moment after i read that forumer’s post. And after of several hours of critical thinking (LOL), I’m so glad that I’ve been able to come up with a good answer, i think. (Well, forgive me if this isn’t really the best answer for the question, this is only my personal opinion, and please take note I’m just an ordinary student and I’m not an expert. )
For me, I don’t think so. With these system that we have right now, I don’t think this will sustain all the works that PAGASA is doing. Although this will enhance the local authorities’ capabilities in terms of monitoring and weather condition awareness, I don’t think we should disregard PAGASA as a premier source of information when it comes to weather forecasting.
But one thing is clear, for sure this will speed-up the authorities’ response time when a disaster strikes the city since they don’t need to fully rely on PAGASA’s words anymore since they already have their own monitoring system and the information is already localized. Plus the construction of a central command center which centralizes all the units of the local government will surely boost the authorities’ scope within the city’s vicinity.
Davao City Public Safety Command Center (PSCC)
The Public Safety Command Center (PSCC) serves as the nerve center for 17 CCTVs installed in 16 strategic areas in the city, covering entry and exit points and populated areas in the downtown areas, and the traffic signalization for the entire city.
The PSCC will also serve as a venue for coordination on matters of public safety with:
* Davao City Police Office (DCPO) – on crime prevention, suppression, and investigation;
* Traffic Management Command, Traffic Group-DCPO – on traffic management and enforcement;
* City Health Office and City Social Services and Development Offices – on actual and emerging health emergencies and management of victims and emergency shelters;
* Central 911, Bureau of Fire Protection, Red Cross and volunteer organizations – on all types of rescue services, including fire prevention and suppression, and hazardous materials response;
* Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council, Office of the Civil Defense, and Regional Disasters Coordinating Council - on planning and responding during calamities, disasters, and other special events.
davao city public safety command center building



Davao City
Many factors have made Davao City different from other cities in the world, there are positive and negative factors but one thing is the key factor, our local leaders. We have a bunch good legislators (not all, of course), and most of all our city mayors (the Duterte -s) are true people and a true public servants.
From being a murder capital in the Philippines way back before, Davao city is now truly a venue for peace, harmony and prosperity.

[leonell]

^ I agree with your posts, Davao is indeed the cleanest city in the Philippines and the most peaceful. That's thanks to the City Government of Davao for prioritizing those aspects of the City. But I guess right now, the City needs to clear some issues like the most famous Davao Death Squad. The United Nations criticized the large number of killings in the City. It is peace through fear and not justice, I don't see it right. The banning of firecrackers, yeah that's why I never spend Christmas and New Year there and most people would agree with me on that. And I still see DVO as like A CITY IN A COMMUNIST/SOCIALIST COUNTRY, yes it is clean and peaceful but it's cleanliness does not reflect it's economy which is nearly stagnant. Good looking outside but the economy is still not performing as well as CC. It is a peace out of fear.

Davao is lucky it has a very large IRA allotment from the Government because of it's very large land area because it can support it's new projects with ease di parehas namo nga mangutang pa ug 6 Billion sa JICA para funding sa SRP. And we have poor services here and it's good that it is improving. Ok ranang hinay-hinay basta kanunay.

Anyway, did you see the updates of Abreeza and SM Ecoland, nindot na kaayo ang signage sa Abreeza ug nagsugod nasad sila ug paint sa structure, hapit najud mag-open. Naa nasad ta'y bag-ong rason to visit Davao City.

[leonell]

share pod diha sa mga city policies ninyu...

Kapoy'g google. Hahah! Pero sige try nako........

[leonell]

Index crimes in Cebu City drops by nearly 30%

CEBU CITY, Feb. 19 -- Index crimes in Cebu City covering the period of January to February 15, this year recorded a drop by nearly 30 percent compared to the same period of last year.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Police Director S/Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe reported that there were 511 index crimes recorded in the various police stations in the city from January 1 to February 15 this year compared to the 702 total index crimes recorded for the same period last year or a decline of 27.2 percent.
“This clearly shows that there is a drop in the total index crimes such as theft, robbery, carnapping and crimes against persons like murder and homicide,” Buenafe said.
Index crimes is defined as crimes that are serious in nature and divided into crimes against persons like murder, homicide and physical injury and crimes against properties like robbery, theft and rape.
In 2010, the CCPO recorded 121 cases of crimes against properties for the first 45 days which went down to 91 cases of the same period while crimes against properties from January 1 to February 15 last year had 581 cases which decreased to 420 incidents of the same period this year, this is said.
Buenafe said one of the factors that led to the decrease in index crimes is their intensified operations against loose firearms while the 15-day suspension on the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside the Residence in the entire Cebu Province due to the Sinulog Festival.
The city director said they because of the intensified operations, there were quite a number of firearms that were confiscated although no specific data was given.
One of the problems cited by Buenafe that contribute to the rise in index crimes in the city is gang wars as this continues to be a main challenge of the police to neutralize warring fraternity groups.
Buenafe also said the number of policemen in the city is not sufficient with a ballooning population and falls short of the ideal ratio of one policeman per population.
The ideal ratio is 1:500 or one police is equivalent to 500 people but the reality is 1:1000 plus, according to Buenafe.
The city director called on the public to help the police maintain peace and order in the community by immediately reporting suspicious activities in their neighborhood to the police.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) - 7 reported that for the first month of the year, there is a decline of 16 percent in total index crimes in the whole region and 19 percent decrease in non-index crimes or violations of special laws like illegal fishing and illegal drugs. (PIA-Cebu/Fayette C. Riñen)

PIA daily news in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Waray, Pangalatok from around the Philippines

[leonell]

Utilities to clean up and color-code spaghetti wire
By Garry B. Lao/BRP (The Freeman) Updated February 19, 2011 12:00 AM


CEBU, Philippines - Local public utility service providers have agreed to clean up the city streets of sagging wires and
excess posts within six months to a year.

Mayor Michael Rama said the service providers of cable television, telephone and electricity assured him that they will look into
the presence of “spaghetti” wires all over the city.

During his regular press conference yesterday, the mayor said the utility companies agreed that there will be a system of
wiring by means of color-coding for immediate identification.

Rama said the wires pose risk and danger to both pedestrians and motorists as most of them are left dangling perilously low.

Agreeing to the suggestion of the mayor, the utility companies agreed to color-code their wires for easy identification.

Skycable will use sky blue; Bayantel, orange; VECO, black; Digitel, powder blue; PLDT, yellow; Innove, dark blue and CCTN, silver.

Veco corporate communications manager Ethel Natera said the company wants to meet with officials of Globe, Smart, PLDT and
others to come out with an agreement on how to solve this problem.

Natera said it will be difficult to keep blaming each other and it is more important to gather all the telecom and cable firms to
resolve the problem.

PLDT customer service chief Bong Lintag echoed Natera’s sentiment and said they have spent P6 billion nationwide to repair their
spaghetti wires.

He said they were among the first to comply with cable tying and color-coded bundling of cables in Cebu.

The officials, however, disagreed on adopting an underground cabling system, saying it is inconvenient and expensive. (FREEMAN)

http://www.philstar.com/ArticleListB...y+B.+Lao%2fBRP

---------------------------------------------------

maynta masolve najud ning problems sa spag wires. Go Rama!

[2020VISION]

this time, dili pa layo kaau ang difference sa cebu & davao, but soon, especially if operational na ang mga investments sa SRP, nindot na kaau ang cebu.

[arf2]

if puy.an ug safetey davao if laagan mas nyc ang cebu ug job opportunity