A total of 59 persons were issued citation tickets for not wearing face masks on the first day of the opening of Roxas Night Market on March 24, a spokesperson of Davao City Police Office (DCPO) reported.
DCPO Spokesperson P/Maj. Ma. Teresita Gaspan in an interview on Madayaw Davao over Davao City Disaster Radio on Tuesday said that all the safety and security clusters have ensured peace and order in the area, including the strict compliance of the public to the minimum public health standards such as the wearing of face masks.
Gaspan said that 59 individuals were caught not wearing face masks and were issued citation tickets.
“Kailangan gyud nga mag-wear og facemasks always kay permanente gihapon ta naga-issue og citation tickets. Daghan gihapon ta og nadakpan sa face mask lang, for that day lang, 59 kabuok nga wala nag wear og facemask (The wearing of face mask is still needed because still issue citation tickets. We have apprehended, for that day alone, 59 were not wearing face mask),” she said.
Gaspan said that there were around 4,500 Dabawenyos who went to the Roxas Night Market on the first night of the opening.
“Full force ang atoang DCPO, uban sa atoang composite na mga team-atong security cluster sama sa Task Force Davao, CSU auxillary natin and other counterparts even our PDEA nag join din ang pag-assist sa atoa sa pagbantay night market (The DCPO was in full force together with the composite teams of the security cluster such as Task Force Davao, CSU Auxillary, and other counterparts even our PDEA also joined in assisting the Roxas Night Market),” she said.
Meanwhile, besides the security cluster, the Business Bureau has been reminding business establishments including bars and restaurants to implement the wearing of face masks. The wearing of face masks is still required for staff and customers except when eating and drinking.
Business Bureau Head Maribel Paguican in a phone interview with CIO Tuesday said that the penalty for the non-wearing of a face mask range up to Php5,000 or one-month imprisonment.
“Actually moabot gyud na sa punto na makasuhan sila, despite sa mga reminder kay atoa man pud ginatan-aw ang kanang mga balaod like the ordinance on facemask (It will come to a point that cases may be filed against them because we also check the laws like the Face Mask Ordinance),” Paguican said.
The violators of the Face Mask Ordinance may face Php 500 fine for the first offense; Php 2,000 fine for the second offense, and Php 5,000 or one-month imprisonment for the third offense.
She said that the heavy challenge in the implementation of the face mask ordinance are those who go to restaurants and drinking bars as others do not immediately wear a mask after eating or drinking.
Paguican recalled that their office inspected permit compliance of a dancing club in the city and was immediately inspected after an initial report of a concerned citizen on the violation of the facemask ordinance.
While the club has the permit to operate, Paguican said that they still referred their inspection findings on the face mask ordinance violation to the City Legal Office for further legal action.
She reminded Dabawenyos, especially those who are going to crowded areas, to always wear face masks amid the lifting of the restrictions within the city and the huge chance for a surge to happen within the city. CIO
