Laoag steps up implementation of anti-nuisance ordinance
POLICE inspecting a fireworks store in Laoag City. (LCPS FB)
LAOAG CITY – The Philippine National Police (PNP)-Laoag Traffic Division has intensified its implementation of the anti-nuisance ordinance, particularly this holiday season.
Police Chief Master Sgt. Eric Bumagat, head of the PNP-Laoag Traffic Division, in a media interview Thursday, said they started implementing the ordinance last Dec. 22.
Under the ordinance, cars and motorcycles with modified mufflers or sound boosters are prohibited, citing the harmful effects of noise pollution to health and the distraction it could cause to other motorists.
In Laoag, cars and motorbikes with modified mufflers or sound boosters are often observed racing along the Laoag bypass road past midnight, causing sleep disturbance and annoyance among nearby communities.
"The intensified implementation of the ordinance aims to control the noise on the road through banning vehicles that emit sounds of more than 90 decibels, a noise level within the national safety standard,” Bumagat said.
A motorist whose vehicle is found to have exceeded the noise limit will be subject to corresponding penalties.
Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office assured the public that all motor vehicles need to undergo noise pollution testing during the yearly vehicle registration.