EDITORIAL - Noise

Restobars and disco joints have graced newspapers lately, not because of the entertainment they bring but because of the inconveniences that these establishments have caused the public, particularly the noise that has kept people nearby from getting a good night’s sleep.

First was an incident involving a retired police officer who reportedly initiated a fight during an activity in one of the restobars in the city. But when the retired cop revealed his side of the story, he said he was not drunk at that time but was merely complaining about the loud noise from the restobar. At first, the cop said, he complained to the nearest police station. When his nothing was done about his complaint, he himself went to the restobar to complain to event organizers but no one wanted to talk to him.

Just a few days after the incident with the retired cop, at least two uptown hotels have complained about the noise from a disco joint which has caused inconvenience to their guests. One of the hotels said some of their guests left the hotel because the noise from the disco has become unbearable.

These people, and all those who have complained about noise from discos, restobars, karaoke bars and other similar establishments have all the right to complain, especially since there exists an anti-noise ordinance in the city. The ordinance provides that loud noises from such establishments are prohibited from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. It also provides that sounds or noise from entertainment joints should not go beyond 40 decibels, otherwise violators will be penalized.

But why is it that there are still establishments that play such loud music even if there is a city ordinance that prevents such? Weren’t these establishments informed about the ordinance? If people living near such establishments are inconvenienced about the noise from these joints and have complained to the police about it, how come nothing has been done to stop these establishments from continuing to violate the ordinance?

Quite a number of restobars and discos have been established in the city, providing nightly entertainment for those who want to unwind after work and during weekends. There is really nothing wrong about these establishments as long as they comply with city regulations. However, if these establishments begin to cause inconveniences and start to disturb the peace and quiet then the city government must do something, especially when there are laws that are supposed to protect the public from these disturbances.