Let me tell you something about the place I live in. Or rather, let me tell you about my neighbors. My neighbors hang out at the small street right by where the building that I live in is located. Every morning, I'd wake up to go to school and they're right there -- one of them carrying her baby, bathing the baby with the morning light, and there's an old man sitting by a chair by the sari-sari store, drinking coffee and reading his morning paper.
Occasionally, you have the night parties. You'd hear them laugh and sing, "SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS..."
Please be advised to turn the volume down. Take care of your hearing, kids :)
These parties sometimes go into the wee hours of the morning. Now don't get me started on their karaoke parties. Those last all day. Literally all day. It drives me nuts.
Karaoke has even been claimed by migrants to be a "distinctly Filipino practice" (Ong, 2008). In Ong's study (2008), he interviewed various Filipinos regarding news and karaoke practices. Despite their indifference regarding news in the Philippines, they never fail to get together whenever karaoke was happening. The study is very informative regarding forming identities through media (not a perception topic, let's take it up some other time!).
Now don't get me started on the trucks, tricycles and motorcycles that pass by!
In Brown and White's (2009) paper on a case study regarding noise and land use in the city of Jacksonville, different factors that affect noise in areas that are mostly residential were enumerated. The paper described the number of noise complaints to be limited because of city efforts to solve this issue.
If you listen to your perception class (if you have one), you'll know about the condition called presbycusis. It is a loss of sensitivity in hearing caused by exposure to noises (in addition to aging) that damage your hearing (Goldstein, 2010).
Going back to Brown and White's (2009) paper, they factored in the local plan, zoning ordinance, residential planning near highways, incompatible land uses -- to name a few. This is to ensure the continued quality of life for residential areas.
Now why mention all this? Because if you noticed, it seems as if the Philippines is not concerned about noise pollution.
Even Bolido (2008) expressed concern about the amount of noise pollution. Some jeepneys and taxis play music so loud that you have to shout to be heard. In addition to this, there is eve a total disregard for the smoke ban--you are not supposed to smoke in a public utility vehicle!
So how come New York City has been able to pass a law. And France has a national office on information and documentation on noise pollution (Reyes, 2008)?
Aside from hurting your ear, noise may also cause stress. In Europe, chronic and excessive traffic noise accounted for three percent of deaths from chronic heart disease (Panao, 2008). It was even cited by the World Health Organization as the third worst form of pollution!
In the Philippines, local government units regulate unwanted urban noise through city and municipal ordinances. In Quezon City, public motorized vehicles such as tricycles require noise pollution testing before a permit may be granted to them. And in San Juan City, there is an ordinance that makes it unlawful for motorists and drivers, be it public or private, to play excessively amplified music or blow car horns that's past the tolerable sound level for more than three seconds. Although these ordinances have been established, enforcement is another problem altogether--even our National Pollution Control Commission is now defunct.
References:
Bolido, L. (2008). What happened to the noise pollution campaign? Inquirer Lifestyle, Inquirer.net. Retrieved February 19, 2011 from http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20080528-139388/What-happened-to-the-noise-pollution-campaign
Brown, D.L. & White, L. (2009). Noise: A land use dilemma? A case study of the city of Jacksonville. Florida Bar Journal, 83(10), 52-54. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Goldstein, E.B. (2010). Sensation and perception (8th ed.). California, USA: Wadsworth.
Ong, J. (2008). Watching the nation, singing the nation: How Filipino migrants in the UK construct their identity in media rituals of news and karaoke. Conference papers -- International Communication Association, 1. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Panao, A.L. (2008). Noise can kill. The UP Forum. Retrieved February 19, 2011 from http://www.up.edu.ph/upforum.php?issue=26&i=201.
Reyes, N.N. (2008). Stop jeepneys' noise pollution. Inquirer Opinion, Inquirer.net. Retrieved February 19, 2011 from http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20080103-110250/Stop_jeepneys%92_noise_pollution
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