PWD, senior citizen impersonators to be penalized

BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan approved a City Council ordinance penalizing any person impersonating or falsely representing oneself by using or facilitating the use of reserved spaces intended for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens in all public and private establishments in the Summer Capital.

Ordinance Number 23 series of 2017, authored by councilor Leandro Yangot, Jr., defines PWDs as persons suffering from restrictions or different abilities as a result of a mental, physical or sensory impairment to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

A senior citizen is a person who is at least 60 years of age while reserved spaces refer to sufficient and suitable spaces for the exclusive use of PWDs and senior citizens as provided in Batas Pambansa Bilang 344 and Republic Act No. 9994 as in parking spaces in malls, public and private establishments, theaters, concert halls and similar establishments.

Violators will be fined P2,000 for the first offense; P3,000, second offense; and P5,000 for the third offense.

The ordinance tasks the City Mayor’s Office-Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) to establish a hotline to receive complaints and reports of violations.

It also directed the POSD, Office for Senior Citizens Affairs, and other concerned agencies to promulgate the necessary Implementing Rules and Regulations for the proper implementation of the ordinance.

The ordinance is based on the report and recommendation of the City Council’s committee on employment, livelihood, cooperatives, handicapped and differently-abled persons chaired by councilor Arthur Allad-iw. (PR)