Heightened security awareness in school campuses, proposed

March 11, 2017 Opinion Sideglance

It is the policy of the City Government of Baguio to provide a safe and healthy environment for its constituents, taking into consideration all the sectors in the community which include, among others, public and private learning and educational institutions.

This is the one of the explanations cited in the proposed ordinance authored by city councilor Leandro Yangot Jr. which seeks to promote crime awareness and security in all learning institution campuses within the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Baguio, by establishing a program which would provide the necessary and updated information and data for students, parents or guardians and the community of all educational institutions in the city regarding their safety and security policies and procedures.

As pointed out in the proposed legislative measure there have been several incidents of bullying, fraternity wars, death, physical harm and incapacity inflicted on the members and non-members of some schools in the city, and which continue to affect the security and peace and order within the said learning institutions. A problem that continues to hound the public particularly the families of those victimized of these kinds of unwarranted violence.

The proposed ordinance likewise reiterated the principles laid down in the 1987 Philippine Constitution particularly Section 5 Article II of the said law which expressly states that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property, and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by the all the people of the blessings of democracy.

If approved and made effective the proposed measure shall mandate all eligible campuses to collect, prepare, publish and distribute through appropriate publications, to all current students and employees, and to any applicant for enrollment or employment upon request, an annual security report containing at the minimum the following information with respect to the campus security policies and campus crime statistics of that particular educational institution, to wit: (a) A statement of current campus policies regarding procedures and facilities for students and a report on criminal actions or emergencies occurring on campus, including policies concerning the institutions response to such incidents; (b) A statement of current policies concerning security and access to campus facilities including dormitories inside the campus and security consideration used in the maintenance of such facilities; (c) A statement of current policies on campus law enforcement including the enforcement authority of security personnel, including their working relationship with the national and local police agencies, and policies which encourage accurate and prompt reporting of all crimes to the police authorities; (d) A description of programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of crimes; (e) Statistics showing the occurrence of crime incidents within the campuses; and (f) A statement of policy regarding the possession, use and sale of alcoholic beverages and enforcement of underage drinking laws.

Relative to this, the proposed ordinance also directs the Office of the City Mayor to review such statistics and task the Committee on Education of the City Council in coordination with the representatives of the institutions of higher education to identify exemplary campus security policies, procedures and practices proven effective in the prevention and reduction of campus crime.