Community Awareness and Compliance to the Municipal Ordinances in the First District of Capiz, Western Visayas, Philippines

This study aimed to assess the level of awareness of the residents in the first district of Capiz to municipal ordinances. A stratified random sample of 256 residents for each municipality, equally allocated by type of residents was used as respondents of the study. The study was conducted in the first congressional district of Capiz before COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive-correlational method of research was used in the study. Results showed that all municipalities in the first district of Capiz implemented an ordinance on the prohibition on the use of cigarettes and tobacco. Residents from the municipalities in the first district of Capiz were aware of the ordinances implemented in their respective municipalities, but moderately complied with the said ordinances. The compliance to municipal ordinances is influenced by the lack of awareness of the residents as well as the lax implementation of the said ordinance. Effective information dissemination, rigorous and serious implementation and higher penalties are possible measures that could help improve the compliance of the residents towards municipal ordinances.