Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo wants the entire stretch of the national highway, from barangay Buñao in the north up to barangay Banilad in the south, to be designated as Discipline Zone, after the police earlier piloted only the segment from Buñao up to the Capitol Area.
The city police, headed by Supt. Jonathan Pineda, said that Dumaguete’s Discipline Zone will not only be clearing the highways of obstructions to effect free flow of traffic but to make sure that sidewalks cannot be used for parking, eateries/food stalls, vulcanizing shops, or display areas for tires and used vehicles. Homeowners along the highway will also have to maintain cleanliness in their front yards.
Provincial Philippine National Police Director Sr. Supt. Edwin Portento said the establishment of Discipline Zones is a project of the PNP in Region 7.
Discipline Zones are areas with no graffiti, mendicancy, illegal vendors, and traffic congestion — with the goal of developing a more livable city environment.
To effectively implement and enforce existing local ordinances and national laws within the designated Discipline Zone in Dumaguete, a three-day training-workshop is scheduled from Jan. 29-31 for all those involved in the enforcement, including barangay tanods.
The first two days will focus on pertinent laws to be applied in a Discipline Zone; the third day will be an execution of actual enforcement.
Full implementation of the Discipline Zone will begin in February this year. (With reports from Juancho Gallarde/PNA)