Iloilo residents want videoke, karaoke noise reduced

ILOILO CITY—Residents of the city, tormented by loud videoke and karaoke machines, may soon have a respite from the annoyance that the gadgets bring.

A proposed ordinance has been filed at the city council to regulate the operation of these machines amid a rising number of complaints from residents, including Church leaders.

“It has become a practice to put up blaring sound systems during festivals and other events and the loud noise has become a disturbance especially in residential areas,” said Councilor Plaridel Nava, the proposed ordinance’s sponsor.

Noise pollution

Nava said the noise is loudest during the Dinagyang Festival which brings forth what he said was a “battle of the sounds.”

This is not the first time that calls have been made to fight noise pollution in the city.

During Dinagyang, giant sound systems are set up in street corners and serve as magnets for intoxicated revelers, and street fights.

Business noise

Businesses have also been setting up loud sound systems in front of their establishments to attract customers.

The city council passed the proposed ordinance on first reading during the council’s regular session on Tuesday. It has been referred to the council’s committee on police affairs for deliberation.

The proposed ordinance has set a maximum decibel (db) limit of 55 for residential areas, 65 db for commercial areas, 70 db for light industrial areas and 75 db for heavy industrial areas.

The limits are just above the sound of normal conversation in a public area like an office or restaurant.

Noise levels

Nava said the levels could still be adjusted based on committee deliberations.

Nava said there was a need to pass a new ordinance because the existing ordinance, passed in 1962, applied to only jukebox machines, which are no longer in use.

He said the proposed ordinance would apply to videoke and karaoke systems in bars and residential areas.

“The loud music keeps on playing until early morning disturbing residents trying to sleep,” he said.

Ma. Lea Lara, executive director of the Iloilo Business Club, said her group would study the proposed ordinance and submit recommendations.

She said many areas in the city host a mix of commercial, residential and industrial structures that make the fight against noise pollution a little complicated.

“If bars and restaurants were allowed in a particular area, then limiting the sound levels, especially in bars, could also hamper their business,” Lara said.