ILOILO City – Punong barangays in this southern city are tasked to run after violators of safety protocols to prevent the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from spreading.
Mayor Jerry Treñas deputized village heads to enforce compliance to minimum health standards.
His Executive Order No. 154 contained the rules that village chiefs should enforce. These were the following:
* While in public, all persons shall always wear facemasks that cover the nose and mouth to prevent droplets from escaping and possibly infecting others.
* Strict observance of physical distancing (at least one meter apart from the other person) and markers are followed by all persons.
* Passengers and drivers must observe a “no mask, no ride” policy in public utility vehicles, taxis and transport network vehicles services.
But while carrying out their mandate, village chiefs, according to Treñas, must be courteous at all times. They shall also seek the assistance of police officers if necessary to enforce laws and ordinances relative to COVID-19, the mayor added.
“As deputized officials, they are authorized to issue citation tickets to violators,” Treñas said.
Regulation Ordinance (RO) No. 2020-085 amending the penalties of RO No. 2020-061 mandates the wearing of facemask or face covering in public during pandemics, increases the fine and also include community service as added penalty.
Penalties for the health protocol violators are the following:
* First offense: P1,000 fine or eight hours of community service per day for three successive days or both, upon the discretion of court;
* Second offense: P2,000 fine or eight hours of community service per day for five successive days or both, upon the discretion of court; and
* Third offense: P5,000 fine or eight hours of community service per day for five successive days or both, upon the discretion of court.
Meanwhile, RO No. 2020-066 implementing Physical Distancing imposes a P5,000 fine for first offense for establishments and P500 for offenders.
Punong barangays have been told to directly coordinate with Iloilo City Compliance Team Head Fernando Jose Rico for the implementation of the order.
The city mayor also stressed that no punong barangay or compliance officer deputized is allowed to close any business or solicit money./PN
