The city council has approved Ordinance 54 s. 2023 or the Code of Public Safety During Celebrations in the City of Baguio, amending Ordinance 21, s. 2000 to incorporate the guidelines provided under Memorandum Circular 93-125 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The coverage of the ordinance includes safety on roads and river; construction of floats, platforms, towers, stages, and pagodas; electrical installation and other makeshift connections for lighting and sound system; handling firecrackers and other pyrotechnic displays; fire prevention and readiness to respond to emergencies; medical and first aid teams; sanitation and hygiene equipment; and Christmas trees, lanterns, and other decorations.
The ordinance mandates that covering or repairing of potholes or diggings and other excavations in certain venue/s shall be done a month ahead the actual activities, and that roads are cleared from obstructions, appropriate traffic signs are installed, and traffic ordinances are enforced during the event/s.
At all times, rivers, creeks, and canals shall be cleared of obstructions like water lilies, garbage and other flotsam and debris.
Faded or unreadable semi-permanent traffic signages, road markings and pavements markings must be replaced.
Streamers, buntings, and other materials on alleys and roadways must be properly placed or installed on galvanized iron, steel, or concrete posts along approved posting areas.Installation shall be done a week before the activities, while maintenance and removal during typhoons or natural calamities shall be the responsibility of the applicant or permitee.
The ordinance also requires review on floats, platforms, towers, stages, and pagodas as to their structural soundness and safety; maximum load capacities and design to carry enough loads such as loads from its frame, flowers, and accessories.
The vehicle to be used for floats must be thoroughly checked by the organizer before the parade, in good running condition, and must not exceed its weight capacity to prevent accidents.
Installation of electrical wirings for floats, platforms, and stages must be supervised and maintained by the licensed electrician of the organizer and monitored by the City Buildings and Architecture Office and the City Engineering Office for streetlights.
For electrical installation and other makeshift connections for lighting and sound system, combustible decorative materials should not be combined with electrical bulbs, nor balloons be inflated or used as decorations near electrical bulbs or lighted candles.
Handling of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic displays in designated places shall only by authorized persons, and that any person carrying firecracker is prohibited to board banca or boat participating in fluvial parade.
On firesafety, firetrucks and other fire-fighting equipment, including local paramedic teams are to be on full alert status.
Part of these are assigning or fielding of medical stations in designated places in the city; first aid teams or personnel knowledgeable of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and first aid to take care of fractures and wounds; and medical vehicles to transport accident victims to designated medical stations, health clinics, centers, or nearest hospitals.
On sanitation and hygiene within event vicinities, makeshift or temporary eating places such as carinderias and turo-turo shall be strictly supervised by sanitary inspector. Latrines or portable restrooms must be provided in strategic places, including garbage receptacles for biodegradables and non-biodegradables with constant emptying and maintenance works.
Adequate potable water supply must be provided including appropriate washing facilities. Applicable provisions of Presidential Decree 856 or the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines must be complied, like clearing or cleaning of clogged storm drain lines and sewer lines to prevent breeding of vermin, mosquitoes, and cockroaches.
To avoid incidence of panic and stampedes during shows and exhibitions, crowd control personnel or marshals shall be fielded and police personnel are assigned to be on the lookout for criminal elements such as pickpockets, drug pushers/users, gyps, et cetera.
Christmas trees and lanterns must be designed by a structural engineer or civil engineer to ensure they are structurally safe and stable to withstand wind, heavy rain, and earthquake with carrying capacity to hold the frames, decors, and other accessories, and regularly monitored and maintained by the CBAO to check any faulty wirings.
The working area for the construction of Christmas trees/lanterns must be secured or fenced to prevent the public from entering and to avoid accidents.
The public safety shall be the primary responsibility of the city mayor, the city police director, and the chairman of the festival or activity organizer.
A public safety committee to be created shall be chaired by the city mayor, co-chaired by the committee chair on public protection, peace and order and safety, with members from heads of concerned city offices and departments as well as national offices like the police and fire departments and the Philippine National Red Cross-Baguio, including the festival organizer representative.
Organizers of any local celebration are required to secure permit from the City Mayor’s Office at least 15 days before actual conduct of the affair with proper written request accompanied by the detailed plan for the celebration.
Violators shall be fined P1,000 on first offense; P1,500 on second offense; and P2,000 on third offense.
A copy of the ordinance was submitted to the office of Mayor Benjamin Magalong for his signature.
May 4, 2024
