“The foregoing errors are in city ordinances which have the force and effect of legislation”
The City Council of Manila headed by its Vice Mayor, actor Yul Servo, badly lacks proficiency in English.
From the way the council has been drafting its recent ordinances, the councilors need to take up a refresher course in English grammar and composition.
Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna and city council secretary Luch Gempis Jr. are similarly situated because their signatures are affixed on the ordinances.
Take for instance Manila City Ordinance 8973, approved by the City Council on July 25, 2023 and published in a newspaper on August 25, 2023.
The principal authors of Ordinance 8973 are Councilors Jaybee Hizon, Jesus Fajardo Jr., Rodolfo Lacsamana, Niño de la Cruz, Luis Uy and Pamela Pascual. It bears the signatures of Mayor Lacuna, Vice Mayor Servo and Gempis.
Quoted in verbatim, Section 4 of Ordinance 8973 reads:
“Vehicles impounded six months after from the date it was impounded are considered Abandoned or Unclaimed, shall be and already in the legal possession of the City of Manila, or in particular, the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau.
“The head of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau is hereby authorized to recommend to the City Mayor the disposal of a vehicle that was taken into possession.
“Such disposition shall be at public auction under such procedure as the City Mayor shall establish with the approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
“Written notice and publications of such auction shall be sent to the last known registered owner or person indicated in the papers of the vehicle, and person indicated in the violation ticket, if available, by private courier and registered mail three months after impoundment, five months after impoundment and at least 30 days prior to the date of auction, and said auction shall be held not earlier than six months after the date upon such vehicle shall have been impounded.
“Any person entitled to such vehicle may reclaim the same at any time prior to such auction upon payment of all cost and expenses relating to the impoundment and storage of such vehicle, as determined by said officers or his authorized subordinates.”
The first sentence of the ordinance is sloppily written. It simply does not make sense.
In the fourth sentence, the phrase “after the date upon such vehicle shall have been impounded” is also sloppily written. Its syntax is terrible.
The last sentence is just as badly written. It refers to “said officers” or “his authorized subordinates.” The first noun is plural (officers) but the reference thereto is in singular form (his).
Moreover, the use of the plural noun “officers” is incorrect because only one city officer is tasked with the auction — the head of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau.
Likewise, the word “cost” should be “costs.”
Another example is an unnumbered city ordinance which modified an earlier ordinance about city tourism.
The ordinance was enacted by the Manila City Council on August 1, 2023 and published in a newspaper on September 7, 2023.
Its principal author is Councilor Leilani Marie Lacuna, and a host of other councilors including Benny Abante III, Irma Juson, Arlene Atienza, Carlos Castañeda, Louisito Chua, Roberto Espiritu II, Martin Isidro Jr., Macario Lacson, Salvador Lacuna, Moises Lim, Numero Lim, Erick Nieva, Charry Ortega, Elmer Par, Louisa Tan, Science Reyes, Luciano Veloso, Joel Villanueva, Raymundo Yupangco, Timothy Zarcal, Ernesto Isip Jr. and Johanna Rodriguez.
The principal authors of Ordinance 8973 are also listed as principal authors of the unnumbered ordinance.
This ordinance bears the signatures of Mayor Lacuna, Councilor Rodriguez as Acting Vice Mayor, and Gempis.
Quoted in verbatim, Section 3 of the unnumbered ordinance reads:
“The Barangay Tourism Committee shall have the following functions and responsibilities: xxx 3.b Will Act as information gather machinery in barangay level.”
Like Section 4 of Ordinance 8973, Section 3 above is also carelessly written.
The phrase “Will Act as information gather machinery in barangay level” is unclear and underscores the city council’s poor English proficiency. Even the first letter of the word “Act” should not be capitalized.
As the city council secretary, Gempis should have made the badly needed corrections in the ordinances — that is, unless Gempis needs to join the city council in remedial English classes as well.
Perhaps if Vice Mayor Servo spent less time as a film actor and more effort as the presiding officer of the city council, these errors could have been corrected. That is probably wishful thinking because Servo signed Ordinance 8973.
The foregoing errors are in city ordinances which have the force and effect of legislation.
Thus, they should be written in clear English so that they will not be misunderstood by anyone covered by them. The people, through the press, have the inherent right to criticize sloppily written and, thereby, misleading ordinances.