Manila gov’t to distribute face masks to students; warns vs profiteering

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno. INQUIRER.net / Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila City government announced on Thursday it will  distribute 500,000 surgical masks to public school students from elementary to college level as the local government issued a warning against business owners who are involved in profiteering or overcharging of face masks.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said this after the Department of Health confirmed that a 38-year-old Chinese woman who traveled from Wuhan in China and is now in a government hospital in Manila has tested positive for novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.

In a Facebook live broadcast, the mayor stressed that profiteering or illegally increasing the prices of face masks to take advantage of the situation is a violation of the law.

“If you continue doing that, we will make you criminally liable,” said Domagoso.

“We guarantee that we will monitor and if we found anybody or anyone, we will make them, one: cancel their business permit; and two, we will go after you, and we will file cases against you,” he also said.

He added that profiteering will only add up to the current pressing health concern.

“If you do that, you deprive somebody to acquire one because tinaasan niyo ang presyo. Kapag siya ang nahawa, chances are mahahawa ka rin (because you increased the price. If he contracted the virus, there is a chance that you will also be infected) because you’re part of the problem, you are not part of the solution,” he added.

Meanwhile, Manila City Vice Mayor Honey Lacuña-Pangan assured the public that city health workers have been alerted to attend to the matter.

“Makakasiguro po ang ating pong mga nasasakupan dito sa Maynila na ang ating mga health services ay lagi pong nakahanda para po sa mga pangangailangan niyo,” Lacuna said, adding that health personnel in the city will continue to disseminate information about the virus.

(People here in Manila can be sure that our health services will always be ready for your needs.)

Edited by JPV