Military backs restricting civilian use of drones in General Santos City

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines —  The military supports a plan by the Sangguniang Panglungsod of General Santos City to regulate and require permits for the use of drones in the city.

According to radio reports on Monday, the city council will hold a legislative-executive conference to talk about a proposed ordinance to bar the use of drones in the city without clearance.

The measure shall cover unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), remotely piloted aerial units (RPAU) and remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) that can be used for documentation and surveillance.

The proposed ordinance will also cover camera drones for commercial and recreational use but may provide exceptions for police and military UAVs.

Major Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Monday the proposed measure will complement the anti-terror and anti-crime missions of the military-led Task Force GenSan.

"We will support the drafting of that proposed ordinance," Uy said.

Residents of General Santos City are no strangers to violence, having witnessed in recent years deadly bombings by terror groups from nearby provinces that are operating in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
 
Members of the city council were reported as also in favor of having an ordinance that would limit, for security reasons, the use of drones in all barangays in General Santos City.