BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan urged the barangay officials of the city’s 128 barangays to implement the anti-graffiti campaign in a bid of bringing back the cleanliness of the city amidst the rapidly growing population.
The local chief executive said he cannot understand why there are some youth, who resort to graffiti to express their sentiments instead of using their talent and skills to help in the upliftment of the society.
“It is unfortunate that graffiti continues to proliferate in the city because of the increasing number of youngsters involved in the said illegal activity. We do not tolerate individuals involved in dirtying our city that is why we are now involving the barangay officials in our campaign to instill discipline among our youth,” Domogan said.
He added an administrative order was recently issued deputizing barangay officials in the implementation of the citywide anti-graffiti campaign by monitoring their constituents for graffiti to send a clear message to the public that city and barangay officials mean business in ridding their areas of jurisdiction from graffiti.
The Baguio ReGreening Movement, meanwhile, is encouraging graffiti artists from the Summer Capital to workshops on graffiti art.
Erdolfo Balajadia, chairperson of BRM, said specifications of good and bad graffiti is subjective suggesting to ban all kinds of graffiti unless it is a project of a government and is put into right location.
The BRM plans to put up a freedom wall where artists can express themselves through their art and is in the process of identifying an area for this.
The BRM handles trainings for the youth and adults at the Baguio Convention Center and is urging barangay representatives to come and discuss how to handle the problem of graffiti in their areas.
Volunteer operations officer of anti-graffiti, Rosalio Gose, said there are two kinds of graffiti. One is art, painting that is pleasant to the eyes and work that gives distress to the public.
Gose invites all the artists doing graffiti to educate them about the art but said there is a fear that they will be turned over to authorities.
“We are all willing to help. They can come over to us. Tatanggapin namin sila,” he noted.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod with the cooperation of Baguio City Police Office also performs an annual lecture on policemen with regards to provision of anti-graffiti ordinance. (Dexter See/With reports from Alvin Orpilla)