DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 Nov) – The city council passed on second reading the proposed ordinance to issue citation tickets to individuals who illegally use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remote piloted aerial vehicles (RPAVs), and remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) within the city’s airspace, amending the current Drone Regulation Ordinance.
In an aim to give the city-funded security cluster Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) “proper implementation and enforcement” to apprehend drone ordinance violators, city councilor Luna Maria Acosta, chair of the committee on peace and public safety, proposed before the city council session on Tuesday to include citation tickets to violators.
Originally passed in February 11, 2021, the ordinance only mentioned that violators will pay P3,000 for first offense, and P5,000 for second offense, but there is no mention of citation tickets.
The proposed amendment was from the recommendations from the drone ordinance Technical Working Group (TWG) in its July 25, 2024 meeting.
Acosta said that there is a need to amend the ordinance since there were alleged “indiscriminate” drone operations near the Francisco Bangoy International Airport, also known as the Davao International Airport (DIA).
Back in June, at the start of the police campaign to arrest fugitive Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, Sonshine Media News International (SMNI) political commentator EB Jugalbot claimed there were MQ-9 Reaper drones of the United States Air Force circling above the DIA, which he said should be a “cause for concern.” The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Eastern Mindanao Command, which is based in the city, denied the claims.
The proposed amendment to the ordinance will mandate PSSO officers and other appropriate enforcers to give citation tickets to violators, stating their name, address where the violation is committed, date and time, the specific violation committed, and a “no contest provision.”
A no contest provision assures a first-time violator to exempt him or her from criminal liability if fines are paid within seven days after the violation is committed.
For people who fly non-registered drones or those with questionable ownership, they will still pay P3,000 for first offense and P5,000 for second offense, and their drone will be confiscated.
Those who fly drones in no-fly zones or in prohibited airspaces will be fined P5,000 and their drones confiscated immediately.
The ordinance also stated that for each fine collected, 60 percent will be allocated to the apprehending barangay and 40 percent will be accrued to the city’s General Fund.
The TWG of the ordinance, which includes members of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), will be mandated to procure a drone neutralization device to physically and electronically disable and jam UAVs. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
