Council finds 2 Binaliw ordinances vague

CEBU, Philippines - The committee on laws, ordinances, public accountability and good government of the Cebu City Council has sent back two of three proposed ordinances of Barangay Binaliw.

This is after City Councilor Edgardo Labella, who chairs the committee, found some provisions are “unreasonable and defective.”

Labella, however, lauded the barangay council for their hardwork in crafting measures for the betterment and upliftment of their place.

Binaliw passed an ordinance implementing the barangay pound and rabies control law to address sanitation problems and vehicular accidents caused by stray animals, as well as to reduce cases of dog bites.

They want to impose regulation by impounding all stray

animals and impose mandatory registration and vaccination, with fees.

But Labella said there are vague portions in the ordinance.

Section 5, for example, requires the barangay rabies control committee to inform the

owner of the impounded dog within 24-hours from the time of impounding.

Labella asked, “Why is the duty of the committee to inform the owner

limited to impounded dogs only? What about the other species mentioned?”

The same mention of a specific animal was noted in the provision prohibiting unleashed or uncaged dogs. Labella stressed that the prohibition must not only be limited and applied to dogs. 

In the second ordinance, Labella said that regulating the practices of trained birth attendants on safe motherhood and child health prgram is laudable but some items in the ordinance also “suffer from the defect of vagueness.” — (FREEMAN)