VIOLATORS of the ordinance regulating drone use will face a fine after lawmakers introduced amendments to the proposed law, which passed on second reading on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
The amendment, proposed by Councilor Luna Acosta, provides an addendum about the issuance of citation tickets and the “no contest provision” to Ordinance No. 0419-20 entitled “An ordinance regulating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remotely piloted aerial units (RPAUS), or any remotely piloted aerial system (RPAs) in the city of Davao” or the Drone Regulation Ordinance.
Sec. 3, which amended Sec. 9 (Penalty of the ordinance states that non-registration, transfer or falsification, or alteration of issued registration shall be fined P3,000 for first offense and P5,000, as well as drone confiscation for the second offense.
Violators operating in no-fly zones or prohibited and restricted airspaces shall be fined P5,000 and immediate confiscation of the device.
The citation tickets issued to the violators will state their name, address, address, date and time where the violation was committed, the specific violation committed, and the “no contest” provision.
The Public Safety and Security Office, law enforcers, and deputized barangay officials are authorized to give a citation.
First-time violators who agree to the no-contest provision will be exempted from criminal liability.
According to the law, 60% of the amount collected will go to the apprehending barangay and the rest will be remitted to the city’s general fund.
The technical working group, headed by PSSO, will procure a drone neutralization device/system to physically disable and jam any form of UAVs and craft physical measures and electronic countermeasures to neutralize them.
The PSSO and the deputized agents must also create enforcement procedures to apprehend violators, which will be the standard for the concerned agencies.
In her report to the plenary on Tuesday, Acosta, the chair of the committee of peace and public safety, said they needed the amendments since the current ordinance does not include citation tickets. Accordingly, she received reports of drones “flying indiscriminately” near the Davao International Airport, which is classified as a no-fly zone.
PSSO chief Angel Sumagaysay manifested the “anti-drone system” as a priority of the office in 2025 for strengthened security and safety in the city, hence the need for such a protocol.
