BAGUIO CITY – Thirteen volunteers from seven barangays here have undergone trainings conducted by the Anti-Graffiti Task Force (AGTF) in January to enable them to assist in the city’s on-going campaign against graffiti vandalism.
Task force operations head Ross Goze said the number brings to 75 representatives from 38 barangays that have undergone the training-seminars since these started in June of last year. He is urging the city’s other 90 barangays to send their representatives for training. The AGTF is co-chaired by Mayor Mauricio Domogan and CJ Neiderstadt.
Lectures and trainings on the implementation of ordinance no. 41, series of 2008, or the Anti-Graffiti Code of the City of Baguio, are being held at the task force office at Baguio Convention Center. Volunteers can visit or call the office at 442-4114 for scheduling purposes.
Goze said trainees are given the general overview of the code; the process of gathering inventory of illegal graffiti in their respective areas; the actual information campaign; the proper way of removing illegal graffiti, and more.
The code defines graffiti or graffiti vandalism as “any unauthorized inscription, word, figure, painting or defacement that is written, marked, etched, scratched, sprayed, drawn, painted or engraved on or otherwise affixed, to the extent that the graffiti was not authorized in advance by the owner or occupant of the property, or despite advance authorization, is otherwise deemed a public nuisance. It shall include all types of unauthorized markings amounting to vandalism and public nuisance.
A property owner is not absolutely prohibited from authorizing graffiti-type artwork for decorative purposes.
The code also mentions other prohibited acts, penalties to be imposed for violations and
other pertinent details for its proper implementation./Gaby Keith#
