OFFICIALS of barangays with zero apprehension on the mandatory wearing of face masks will be asked to explain, especially those barangays with a large population, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said.
On Monday, January 11, 2021, Duterte-Carpio responded to a listener's concern on some barangay officials allegedly not apprehending residents who are not wearing face masks in public places due to fear of losing in the next barangay elections.
She said that should not be a hindrance for them to do their tasks and responsibilities.
"Mali nga i-base nimo imong (It is wrong to base your) actions depending on your chances sa (this) election. Kung magsige kag tan-aw sa election, dili nimo mabuhat imong dapat na trabaho (If that is your mindset, you will not be able to do your job as an elected official)," Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
The mayor said this was already taken up in the previous Davao City Covid-19 Task Force meeting where the matter was referred to the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC).
"Gi-refer na namo ang matter sa PSSCC to ask ngano dako ilang population sa ilahang barangay pero gamay ra ang madakpan (We already referred this to PSSCC to ask why despite being a largely populated barangay they were only able to apprehend a few individuals)," she said.
In a recent virtual presser, the City Treasurer's Office (CTO) collected a total of P451,000 from 902 individuals who violated the Mandatory Face Mask Ordinance as of December 31, 2020, since the ordinance was signed on July 23 of the same year.
CTO head lawyer Lawrence Bantiding, however, revealed that almost 70 out of the 182 city barangays have not yet recorded any apprehension.
The mayor personally finds it "impossible" that no violations were made in these areas.
"Murag sa batasan sa tao karon, imposible na zero ang violation sa face mask sa ubang barangays na dagko ang population (Based on the attitude of most people right now, I find it impossible that barangays with a large population would record zero violations on the wearing of face mask)," she said.
Meanwhile, she reiterated the ordinance’s provision that barangays get 60 percent of their total fine collection.
She said the City offered this as an incentive to the barangays.
"Sila man gihapon ang maapektuhan kung mutaas ang cases sa ilang lugar, ang barangay ang manguna ana sa Covid-19 response. Angay lang gyud nga padulong sa ila ang tanang makuha nilang fines sa [face] mask ordinance (They are still the ones who will face the consequences once cases surge in their area. The barangays should take the lead in the Covid-19 response in their area. Therefore, it is also fitting that they receive a portion of the fines collected from those who violated the face mask ordinance)," Duterte-Carpio said.
Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, proponent of the ordinance, said in a previous interview that 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.