Cebu City council OKs ban on karaoke, loud sound systems from Monday to Saturday

CEBU CITY –– Music-loving Cebuanos may have to tone down a bit.

The Cebu City Council has decided to amend its Anti-Noise Ordinance and prohibit the use of karaoke machines and sound systems in residential areas from Mondays to Saturdays, while the city remains under a state of public health emergency.

City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia, the author of the amendatory ordinance, said there is a need to implement some changes since many students are taking online classes while some employees are working from home.

“For the preservation of public peace and order and to provide a conducive learning and working atmosphere for the residents of the City of Cebu, it is imperative that loud noises be curbed,” he said.

The machines, which are prohibited, include high-sounding, high-powered, and amplified machines, radios, audio systems, compact disc players, and musical instruments.

The ordinance will take effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

Garcia appealed to Cebuanos to cooperate with the city government and to adjust to the “new normal.”

Violators will be asked to pay fines ranging from P1,000 to P5,000 or face not more than six months in prison, depending on the discretion of the court.

Col. Josefino Ligan, director of the Cebu City Police Office, and the Department of Education Cebu City Division, lauded the move of the city government so employees and students would not be disturbed while doing their respective home duties.

“The public needs to be considerate of the students and employees who are working under the new normal,” Ligan said.