Minors to have limited time in internet cafés
BACOLOD CITY – Minors now have limited hours in internet cafés with the passage of the amended version of City Ordinance No. 341 Series Of 2003.
Councilor Greg Gasataya, author of the said ordinance and the chairman of the Committee on Education, said the city, through the ordinance, will constantly watch the internet habits of minors.
“Article IV, Section 3, will regulate the hours of minors in internet cafes as to limiting their hours from 5 pm to 8 pm on weekdays and prohibiting access before and after the above cited allowable period,” Gasataya said.
Gasataya said his office received reports and even complaint from parents and guardians that their children do not anymore go to school or usually skip classes as they have become “addicted” to the internet, specially online gaming.
“Such behavior is detrimental to elementary and high schools students especially those who are in public schools,” he added.
Prior to the passage of the ordinance, a committee hearing was conducted by the Committee on Education in cooperation with the Department of Education. It was realized that the problem is not merely an academic one but has become a social dilemma according to John Arnold Siena, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod on March 18, 2009, passed an Ordinance Amending Article IV, Section 3, of City Ordinance No. 341 Series Of 2003 entitled An Ordinance Regulating the Operations of Business Establishments Providing Internet Access And Services, Internet or Network Gaming and Similar Places, and Providing the Penalties for Violations thereof.
Gasataya’s committee is also studying the possibility of creating an inspection board to monitor this rapidly spreading problem among the elementary and high school students in Bacolod City.