Have our city authorities become deaf from the constant exposure to the irritating and deafening noise of motorcycles with open exhaust pipes, pedicabs and occasional cars plying the streets of Dumaguete?

The question was asked by concerned citizens, who complained of “speed and noise maniacs”, who race and ply the streets of Dumaguete even in the wee hours of the morning.

Resident Florante Vicuna, in his letter to Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria, said loud noise is stressful, and stress is a major cause of heart attacks and nervous breakdowns. In fact, he said, that out of frustration and anger, some of his friends who live along the national highway in Daro have thought of taking the law into their hands, buy airguns and shoot these motorists, or lay a fishing line across the road with fishing hooks, then pull them up as soon as they hear noisy motorcycles coming.

He said it’s no joke being suddenly jolted awake by a passing noisy motorcycle at 1 a.m., or missing part of the news or a favorite TV program because a noisy motorcycle is passing.

Vicuna said Davao, that is ten times bigger than Dumaguete, is also 10 times quieter because noisy vehicles are impounded outright and released only after their mufflers are replaced with those with noise suppressors. Noisy exhaust pipes are returned only after they are destroyed with hydraulic press so they can never be used again.

Stores and shops that sell and manufacture “bora-bora” and other noisy mufflers are warned not to continue selling them, or face heavy penalties.

City Administrator William Ablong said a team from the TMO, the police, and Task Force Sagarr was deployed, but the noisy motorcycles are gone.

He said Section 15 of Ordinance No. 22, series of 2001, or the Comprehensive Traffic Code of the city, penalizes motorized vehicle plying the streets of Dumaguete, without silencer or mufflers, and they will be impounded, and released only upon payment of a fine of P500 for the first offense, P750 for the second offense, and P1,000 for third offense.

Meanwhile, an ordinance prohibiting the use or operation of motor vehicles with noisy modified mufflers in Dumaguete and providing penalties thereof, authored by Councilor Lionel Banogon, was approved on first reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod recently.

The anti-muffler modification ordinance intends to measure the extent of noise coming from vehicles plying the streets of Dumaguete by using a standard sound level meter that meets the specifications of the American Standard Institute, or other specifications accepted by the City Health Office.

A provision in the proposed ordinance states that noise emitted by a motorcycle that is in excess of 84 decibels shall be considered prima facie evidence that such noise is loud and unnecessary or unreasonable, and is therefore in violation of the proposed ordinance.

Fines will be increased without prejudice to the filing of a case in court for refusal to pay the penalties.

The City Health Office has one sound meter being used in checking excessive noise from karaoke and restobars, in its implementation of the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines, as provided for in Presidential Decree 856.*JG

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