Cebu City Councilor Jaypee Labella, with Eagles Consolacion Cebu Integrated, clean on Feb. 12, 2023, the walls in some areas in Cebu City, which have been vandalized and painted with graffiti . | Photo from Ramil Ayuman
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Edgardo “Jaypee” Labella II urged the city council to increase the roving patrols of barangay tanods and ensure the proper functioning of CCTVs to deter people from vandalizing public areas and private properties in the city.
The councilor made the call as he raised the presence of “unsightly” and “illegal” graffitis in various areas in the city, in his privilege speech on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.
“It grieves me to see that despite my humble efforts to launch the Oplan Kontra Graffiti to clean and cover and paint walls and areas with graffiti last Feb. 11, 2023, at the TESDA Regional Office, Archbishop Reyes, Cebu City, this problem persists,” he said.
“A casual perusal of our city reveals that many of our stores and public infrastructure in most neighborhoods have been targeted by these vandals. Their work, an eyesore, upon the landscape,” he added.
This graffiti, he said, oftentimes illustrates unrecognizable visuals and at times, depicts explicit and sexual content.
Labella said the city had taken steps to stop these illegal activities by passing an Anti-vandalism ordinance in 2018, which would include graffiti. This ordinance imposes a penalty of a P5,000 fine or imprisonment for eight months to eight years or both.
However, despite this measure, Labella said, the problem of vandalism and graffiti continued to become rampant in Cebu City.
“Some may argue graffiti is an art form and a form of freedom of expression; however, I posit that there are better avenues to express such activities. Freedom of expression is a right that should be paired with responsibility so as not to infringe upon other people’s rights,” the councilor said.
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