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NGOs hit ordinance 5 Members of Negros Oriental Network of NGOs trooped to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall Thursday to air their objection to Ordinance No. 5 that was enacted into law on Dec. 10, 2008. The approved provincial ordinance will regulate outreach activities through medical and fact-finding missions in the countryside of Negros Oriental. President and executive director Msgr. Merlin Logronio of NEGORNET said the ordinance imposes heavy restrictions and gives limited mobility to legitimate groups, who aim to help in the development of the countryside. The Dr. Jovito Salonga Center for Law and Development, represented by director Mikhail Maxino, said it believes the ordinance is void because it unduly restricts the right of the individual to travel, violates the freedom of expression, and the right to exercise one’s religion. These cannot be restricted under the bill of rights, except for compelling reasons, it said. Maxino stressed that even in the midst of the A(H1N1) pandemic or the 911 terror attack in New York, there had been no official declaration to ban travel in the country. He also said the ordinance is void because it is vague without any provision that states the grounds for denial of the application for a medical mission and will give the office of the governor the freedom of discretion to grant or to deny, which is grossly unfair, he added. National Union of Peoples Lawyers vice president for the Visayas Alfonso Cinco IV, however, said he believes the ordinance is an invalid exercise of police power. Provincial Board Member Saleto Erames said he believes the ordinance has to be re-examined and harmonized with existing amendments. He is suggesting that instead of requiring a permit for medical missions, they should only inform the Office of the Governor about such activity, and will be on their own if they insist on going despite warnings about the danger of going into rebel-influenced areas. (by Juancho Gallarde, Visayan Daily Star, July 4, 2009) |
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