BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio City Council is considering making every Friday a car-less day in all city government offices as a way to lessen air pollution in the city.
Councilor Elaine Sembrano has proposed an ordinance prohibiting cars in all government offices in the city every Friday in line with worldwide efforts to lessen people’s carbon footprint.
Sembrano said on Wednesday the proposed city ordinance would cover all local government offices, such as those at city hall; and all local government offices located outside the city hall premises, particularly, the City Health Services Office, the City Engineering Office, the City Library, City Buildings and Architecture Office, City Environment and Parks Management Office, City Veterinary Office, City Market offices, and barangay halls.
Under the proposed ordinance, no government official, employee, or client shall bring in or park his or her vehicle inside the compounds of local government offices from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays.
However, exemption shall be granted to vehicles used in emergency situations, such as the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or hospital ambulances, police vehicles on patrol or on official dispatch, fire trucks, presidential vehicles on official duty, and diplomatic vehicles or vehicles carrying delegates from sister cities conducting courtesy call or on official function with the local government.
Sembrano said the ordinance states that the gates of compounds under the city government would be closed to vehicular traffic to bar vehicles from entering the local government office compounds, except those covered by the exemptions explicitly provided in the measure.
The University of the Philippines-Baguio also implements a car-less day every Wednesday, in support of the environmental and health programs of the city government. (Liza Agoot/PNA)
