Anti-noise ordinances getting inutile

First off, sorry for not making it to the "evening of some nostalgic music of yesteryears and a little dancing" last February 1, on the occasion of the birthday anniversary shindig of a respected friend, Ex-Cong. Jose "Dodong" Gullas. You see, some BP fluctuations sometimes get crazily disturbing that one's "precious moment" - so the invitation intimated - goes unprecious.

Though belated, one greets the "Young Boss" - this goes a long way back to the high school and ROTC years - with warm kudos and a prayer for many more healthy and hearty years ahead.

Speaking of friendship, another friend who's a physician and to whom one can't just say no, has a special request You see, this practicing doctor who has had music orientation, and a true lover of good and pleasant music, lives somewhere along stretchy Escario Street, at a portion specifically classified as "residential" area in Cebu City Assessor's tax maps.

Perhaps, by the quirks of the now much-abused "variance" in the land use, that is, allowing a change or variance of a purely "residential" area into "commercial" or other non-residential land use, even long-established residents are thereby disturbed into utter sleeplessness, for one.

What's ironical is that this music-loving doctor has now, literally, a very close neighbor smack at the back of his bedroom - a band no less. Just imagine the din and the racket when such band plays in the evening and late into the night and early dawn.

That one's sleep and peace of mind are violated, is an understatement. One's daytime work, one's physical and mental health, and students' studies as well as sleep, are put to the test. Nursing babies and little tots get jolted in their sleep. Overall, the bonafide and long-time residents are deprived of their right to a peace of mind and, in effect, their right of abode.

We're still talking of a misplaced entity featuring a music band in a residential district The more serious noise pollution is generated by the ubiquitous "videoke" and "karaoke" joints indiscriminately cluttered in all places. These ear-splitters and anti-sleep monsters defy not only the land use classification, but also, the elemental rule on inter-human courtesy and dignity.

What is paradoxically insulting is that the local authorities concerned, despite enacting their respective anti-noise ordinance, have not lifted an official finger to abate the noise pollution.

The Cebu City Council first came up with such ordinance to regulate the nuisance by requiring, inter alia, enclosed quarters with sound suppressor, some decibel limitations of sound to tone down the volume, regulating the days and time of operation not earlier than 9 PM and not later than 1AM, etc

But then, whatever limitations have been set are more honored in the breach than in the observance. Our LGUs, including the PNP and the barangay satraps, do nothing to enforce their local fiats. As if, all it needed for them to do was to enact an anti-noise ordinance, and presto, nothing is left to be done anymore.

C'mon, ladies and gentlemen, of both the Cebu City and Mandaue City councils - and their respective city mayors as implementors - don't you feel insulted by the total absence of obedience to and compliance with your enacted ordinances?

One still has faith in, say, Councilors Edgar Labella and Procopio Fernandez who are both lawyers, to do something about rationalizing the indiscriminate grant of "variance", and giving teeth to their anti-noise ordinance. As for Mandaue City Councilor Carlo Fortuna who had authored the Mandaue anti-noise ordinance, one has already called his attention to its being inutile. But then, the unabated din from karaoke/videoke bars in the wee hours of dawn everywhere in Mandaue speaks volumes.