Residents of Valenzuela City who are having sleepless nights because of their karaoke-loving neighbors can now file a complaint by calling up a 24-hour hotline.
The city’s Task Force Disiplina recently launched the Disiplina Hotline (352-8000) through which residents could report violations of five city ordinances, including a ban on all-night videoke sessions.
The other ordinances prohibit stray animals, illegal parking, littering and illegal gambling.
In residential areas in Valenzuela City, videoke sessions are prohibited from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. First-time violators will be given a warning but on their second offense, they will be fined P1,000.
Commercial establishments, on the other hand, are allowed to operate videoke machines until 2 a.m. They will be fined P3,000 if they violate the ordinance.
Michael Reyes, assistant action officer of Task Force Disiplina, said that within a week since the launching of the hotline, they received 98 confirmed complaints, mostly about illegal parking, stray animals and videoke sessions.
Most of the callers were from Barangays Gen T. de Leon and Marulas, the city’s biggest villages, he added.
Expanded coverage
Reyes said that they would soon open the hotline to other complaints, not just those related to the five city ordinances.
Although Task Force Disiplina has been operating since June 2013, complaints from residents were mostly reported through social media and calls to the agency’s landline.
To verify complaints, the task force has over 300 volunteers from different barangays who are authorized to issue ordinance violation receipts. Videoke and gambling complaints, however, are forwarded to the city police.
Before being deployed, the volunteers must first undergo screening and an examination to test their knowledge of the city’s ordinances.
When checking out complaints about stray animals, volunteers capture the animals and bring them to the pound, said city veterinarian Basil Sison.
Owners have three days to claim their pets but will first be asked to pay a redemption fee of P500, a registration fee of P50, on top of an impounding fee of P200 for each day the animal is kept at the pound.
Littering offenses, on the other hand, are sent to the city’s waste management unit which has over 30 surveillance cameras in key areas. Its employees review the footage and send screenshots of litterbugs to the task force.