City puts more teeth to dog ordinance

CEBU, Philippines – Maltreatment, trading and slaughtering of dogs and selling or using dog meat for food consumption are now strictly prohibited in Lapu-Lapu City.

The City Council has passed an ordinance to protect the welfare of dogs in the city.

The City Agriculture's Office has been tasked to make sure that the ordinance is strictly implemented with the City Veterinary's Office.

Under the ordinance, any person, group of persons or business establishments found violating the provisions shall be punished by a fine of P200 but not more than P500 or imprisonment of not less than one month but not more than two months or both at the discretion of the court.

In a separate development, the Lapu-Lapu City Traffic System Management will now implement an existing ordinance expanding the coverage of truck ban on other city streets, highways and road junctions to address the worsening traffic condition in the city.

The ordinance has been approved by the City Council last September 14, 2005 and members of the council now want to put more teeth to the local legislation.

The council believes the strict implementation of the ordinance will minimize if not totally solve the traffic problem in Lapu-Lapu City.

The city council also noted that one pressing concern experienced by motorists these days is the worsening traffic congestion of the city's major streets, thoroughfares and road junctions.

The council said one factor causing this is the unregulated passage of trucks, vans and haulers on major roads, streets and highways, most particularly during rush hours.

In 2004, the City Council passed a resolution which implemented a major traffic rerouting on city's major streets, where one of its component is the ban of the passage truck, vans and haulers weighing 4,500 kilograms on those streets and road junctions from 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The streets include A. Tumulak Street, S. Osmeña Street, old Maribago road, Petron-Sangi junction at Maximo V. Patalinghug Avenue, Basak-Marigondon road from the corner of Maximo V. Patalinghug Avenue up to the junction of Basak Mercado at Mantawe Road.

The ordinance further said the coverage of the truck ban is expanded by prohibiting the passage of trucks, vans, haulers and related motor vehicles weighing beyond 4,500 kilograms from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the several streets and road junctions as follows:  whole stretch of Maximo V. Patalinjug Avenue, Basak-Marigondon road from the corner of Maximo V. Patalinjug Avenue up to the corner of Basak Mercado and at M.L. Quezon National Highway at the junction of Marcelo Fernan Bridge.