THE new Station Commander of Toril Police Station Police Major Carol Jabagat said she will strictly implement the mandatory wearing of face masks in her area of responsibility.
“Via observation, paglayo palang nakita na nako wala magsoot, pagmodool nako sa iyaha, di pa gihapon mo soot, unya pag sitahon na diha pa mo soot, dakpon gyud nako, una wala silay respeto sa uniform (pulis), ikaduha, layo palang nakita na nako sya wala nagsoot pila ka minuto, pasabot ana he’s not following kung baga batas nato, ordinance na meron tayo,” Jabagat said in an interview with Disaster Risk Radio.
(Based on my observations, when we approach people who are not wearing their face mask, they will either not wear it while we talk to them or they will only wear it right after. We will still apprehend you. First, you are not respecting people in uniform. Second, you are not following the face mask ordinance.)
Recently, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) said it is tracking down people who have not paid their fines after being issued citation tickets for violating the mandatory face mask rule.
According to the DCPO, only 3,209 of the 10, 941 violators have paid the P500 fine, while 7,732 have not and will face charges soon.
Violators of City Ordinance No. 0307-20, which requires the wearing of face masks in public, face a fine of P500 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 or one-month imprisonment for the third offense.
Currently, the DCPO has filed cases against 2,629 people who failed to follow through on their citations, while 5,103 are awaiting verification.
Jabagat reminded everyone to wear a face mask to avoid acquiring Covid-19, tuberculosis and other airborne diseases.
“Kahit po walang pulis, isipin po natin para sa atin yan, sa pamilya, at para sa lahat ng taong nasa paligid natin, let's be safe so that we can save other people,” Jabagat said.
(People should always think about their welfare and the people around them.)