Image by Antonio Guillem via Shutterstock Smoking ban, liquor ban after 2AM, noise ban, these are nothing new. Some Filipinos who say that these are reminiscent of ‘martial-law’ style rules are going to be in for a big surprise. Most of these laws President-elect Duterte wants to implement in the Philippines have been in place in the United states for a long time.
I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, and lived here since 1983. Most Californians are all too familiar with these laws, which I believe make for a better community as a whole. Here are some of the city ordinances or state law that Californians are subjected to:
1. Alchohol Ban – there are myriads of pubs and bars throughout the state. It does not matter if a place is serving beer, wine or liquor, all of them follow one law that prohibits the sale of alcohol after 2AM. There is one last call for alcohol around 1:30AM to give an opportunity for patrons to order one more. The bar closes after. Usually bar owners will also close its doors for the day at this time.
2. Smoking Ban – Smoking throughout California is prohibited everywhere indoors and within 50 feet from the nearest entry of a building. This means that if you are craving for a smoke, you will need to go out the parking lot, fifty feet away from the door and do your business there. As of just a few months ago, this now includes e-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes.
3. Public Drinking – Depending on the city or county where you live, drinking in public is mostly prohibited. Some bars with an outdoor patio and a fence or a barrier around it, are allowed to have patrons consume alcohol within the confines of that fence or barrier. Some public parks allow consumption of beer with a permit, but not hard liquor, and only within a specified time frame. Possession of alcoholic drinks are prohibited in all state-owned property, this includes state parks. Regardless of the foregoing, public intoxication is illegal everywhere.
4. Curfew for Minors – Any minor seen loitering during school hours or late at night without an accompanying adult will be picked up by police. The parents of the child will be called in and the child is released to the parents. Parents may be charged with child negligence, depending on the situation and the child may be turned over to Child Protective Services.
5. Noise ban – Excessive noise around neighborhoods, loud music for instance, are generally prohibited after 10PM weekdays and 1AM during the weekends. So Filipinos who live in California are already subject to loud Karaoke bans after 1AM on the weekends.
6. Littering – The fine for littering in California is US$ 1,000. Period. It does not matter whether you littered with a cigarette butt or a whole bag of trash.
So you see, this is not martial law coming back. These are laws that have long been in place in other countries. I believe that these will have a positive effect on the well-being of the youth and every Filipino.
Now the question is, are you ready to follow or lead?
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