Communicating Public Policy: the Case of Ordinance in the City of Metro Manila

Abstract

This study aims to alleviate the widespread case of Internet addiction caused by the proliferation of Internet cafés or computer gaming shops, which is a common dilemma of parents residing in one of the cities in Metro Manila (hereinafter referred to as the “City” for this study). It is noteworthy that the officials of the City have passed a resolution (hereinafter referred to as the “City Ordinance” in this study) to regulate Internet café operations in the City. However, there is a need to address whether the City Ordinance has indeed served its purpose as deemed by this study. Responses obtained from Internet café users in this study confirmed that excessive visits to computer shops are common among young children in the City. These responses were corroborated with the results of the survey conducted among parents. Both results confirmed that there is an Internet café–related problem among the youth in the City that threatens their good education and bright future. Furthermore, these results suggested that the implementation of and information dissemination done for the City Ordinance, if any, were ineffective. Given the importance of communication in the success of any public policy, and the changing information environment, the above premise suggests that the very essence of this study—that is, the method used in the dissemination and campaign of the City Ordinance—was examined.