Luigi remains firm on banning masks, bonnets
Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing has explained that the implementation of prohibiting bonnets and facemasks in the city is for the safety and security of the Mandauehanons as well those passing through the city.
Though he understands the inconvenience and the criticisms thrown by the public, Quisumbing remains firm on getting rid of crimes within the city as it is his number one priority.
“I understand that this is possibly inconvenient for the public. I would rather not pass an ordinance like this if I didn’t have to but unfortunately we have to do everything we can to stop criminality in Mandaue City,” he said.
The Mandaue City Council has approved the ban of wearing bonnets, face mask, or any garment covering the face of motorcycle and tricycle riders on November 29 last year and was implemented last week by the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).
Most of the individuals behind the motorcycle riding assassins were said to be previously involved in illegal drugs and want easy money, according to the mayor, based on the MCPO’s arrest of a gun-for-hire suspect last week.
“Ang duda namo, because a lot of drug dealers lost their primary means of livelihood in selling drugs, they have resorted to performing streetlevel crimes, such as robbery, theft, and even kaning mga guns-for-hire, kining assassination,” explained.
He also recounted similar incidents of persons killed by unknown perpetrators riding in motorcycles like the death of the late Mantuyong Barangay captain Antonio Maquilan on May 3 last year; the death of a Korean national on February 23 this year, and the latest, a former MCPO police officer who was shot dead in Barangay Canduman last week.
“All three of those incidents and many more, have been captured on CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras. However, wala nato na trace ang perpetrators kay mao lage, bonnet, helmet,” he said.
He also noted that around 99 percent of crimes in the city were linked to those riding a motorcycle because this type of transportation is easy to maneuver than riding a vehicle. They can also easily escape from police arrest even in the midst of a heavy traffic flow.
With the implementation of the ordinance, Quisumbing said this can help the Command Center and MCPO in identifying the perpetrators through the surveillance cameras with facial recognition settings.
As to the concerns of dusty roads, specifically on Ouano Avenue of the North Reclamation Area and near University of Cebu –Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM), Quisumbing said the city government is doing their best to address this issue. There is a possibility that the approved ordinance may have a few changes to exempt children from the ban.
Glenn Antigua, chief of operations of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) said that half-faced and full-faced helmets are allowed by law and by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) but tinted visors or windshield of helmets are not allowed in Mandaue City.
Antigua said that if one has a tinted helmet, motorcycle riders can open the cover as they pass by the city.
The TEAM will conduct an information drive about the approved ordinance as a way of notifying the motorcycle riders and tricycle drivers about the matter.
The penalty for those who will violate the city’s ordinance is P5,000.
In Capitol, Governor Hilario Davide III said he favors the ordinance in Mandaue City to ban the wearing of masks to fight criminality in light of the recent shooting incidents.
Davide gives the officials of the different towns and cities whether they will also have the same ordinance that Mandaue City has passed as one way to fight criminality.