Baguio city is enforcing an ordinance banning the use of mobile devices and other gadgets, as well as reading any material while crossing the streets of or walking on the sidewalks in Baguio. (PNA photo)
Baguio City – It is now illegal for pedestrians from using their mobile devices such as cellphones, tablets, and other similar items while walking.
Ordinance 49-2019 prohibits the use of mobile devices and other distractive devices and items while walking and crossing the streets and sidewalks in the city which also includes reading any printed material.
Councilor Eriko Coscoluela, author of the ordinance said “the problem of distracted walking is a relatively new one but an emerging cause of numerous road accidents.”
Coscoluela said more people get injured on the road as they text or talk on their phones or listen to music unmindful of their surroundings. “The problem of distracted walking is a very real and serious one,” he wrote in the proposal he submitted last year.
Violators will be penalized with a P2,500 fine and community service, or even 11 up to 30 days of imprisonment on the fourth and succeeding offenses. (Jojo Mangahis)