SINCE the mandatory wearing of face masks was enacted into a city ordinance on July 23, 2020, the Davao City Treasurer's Office (CTO) already collected more than P450,000 in fine collection.
CTO Head Lawyer Lawrence Bantiding said in a virtual presser on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, that the city, as of December 31, 2020, collected a total of P451,000 from 902 individuals who violated the Mandatory Face Mask Ordinance.
Bantiding said the top 10 barangays with the most number of apprehensions were Calinan Proper, Bago Aplaya, Angalan, Pampanga, Tambian, Lacson, Sto. Niño, 76-A, Riverside and Lizada.
He added most of those who were apprehended availed of the "No Contest Provision" or paid the administrative penalties.
Bantiding said 60 percent of the fines or a total of P270,600 will go to the barangays, which were able to apprehend its constituents violating the ordinance.
The 40 percent or a total of P180,400 will go to the city government, which will also be used in the local government's Covid-19 response.
“Ang atong assumption is tanang barangay man ga-implement man sa ordinance. It could be nga aside sa kugihan, daghan gyud nilapas nga mga residente didto nga barangay,” Bantiding said.
(We assume that all barangays are enforcing the ordinance. It could be that aside from them working hard in implementing the ordinance, many people in these barangays are not abiding by our ordinance.)
The city official also revealed that almost 70 barangays have not yet recorded any apprehension.
Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, proponent of the ordinance, said the face mask ordinance aims to enforce stricter measures aside from the existing protocols required by the local government while the entire city is still under the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the ordinance, violators will be fined P500 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 fine or one-month imprisonment or both for the third offense.
She said the ordinance will also penalize those who are not wearing their face masks properly and those using the wrong type of face masks.
Dalodo-Ortiz, during the virtual presser, said the ordinance was crafted due to the low compliance of some individuals to the health protocol of the Department of Health (DOH) to wear face masks in public places to curb the spread of the virus.
She added this was reiterated in the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the city's recently issued executive orders.
Contrary to some claims that the ordinance was "anti-poor" and is only aiming to "earn money" from penalties, the councilor said the ordinance aims to send a strong message that the government is serious in its mandate as this is for the betterment of the public.
"Kung musuot man gud ta’g face masks, it is not only a protection for our own kaugalingon, but protection usab sa mga katawhan. Naa atong responsibilidad as a citizen nga para maundang or mapakunhod ang kaso sa Covid. Kita na maghimo og precaution nga dili makapatakod sa atong isig katawo," Dalodo-Ortiz said.
(If we are going to wear face masks, this is not only to protect one's self but also to protect others. It is our responsibility as citizens to curb the spread of the virus. We should be the ones who should stop the spread of the virus.)
Aside from face masks, health officials had reiterated the wearing of face shields, observance of two-meter physical distancing, and the washing of hands with soap and water.