A NEOPHYTE councilor wants vulgar merchandise to be banned in malls and other shopping areas in Cebu City as the holiday season draws near.
Councilor Rey Gealon has asked the reactivated Cebu City Anti-Indecency Board (Caib) to inspect shopping areas and confiscate products that are lewd, vulgar and pornographic.
In his letter sent to Caib head Dr. Lucelle Mercado on Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, Gealon said that there is now a proliferation of merchandise depicting human sex organs and sexual acts in wood carvings and the like.
Gealon added that these kinds of products are being displayed openly in bazaars, stalls, and other commercial spaces even in malls.
“If this goes unabated, children who are frequenting the malls and other business establishments this yuletide season, together with their parents and elders, will be shocked and appalled at the mere sight of it,” said Gealon.
Caib, created by virtue of City Ordinance 2436, is tasked to look on matters relating to indecency, lewdness, obscenity and pornography in whatever form in Cebu City.
The ordinance punishes all persons responsible for the sale of lewd items with a fine not exceeding P5,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months or both.
The City Government can also impose additional administrative penalties like the suspension or revocation of business permits of the establishment.
Mayor Michael Rama has revived Caib to protect constituents against immorality.
On Thursday, Dec. 1, Caib convened for the first time in seven years to discuss its next line of action.
Gealon congratulated Mercado for being able to convene the board, and he hopes that the latter will have the same “vigor and enthusiasm” in apprehending the violators of the city’s anti-indecency ordinance.