CEBU CITY—The police chief of Cebu province on Monday (April 26) warned people against abusing the new “no penalty” policy in failure to wear face masks in the province as part of protocol to prevent the spread of SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
“We will give face masks to those not wearing one. Please don’t abuse it,” said Col. Engelbert Soriano in an interview on Monday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has turned over 3.3 million pieces of face masks to policemen, a program which will form part of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s directive to scrap all penalties against failure to wear masks.
There will be no apprehensions and fines for not wearing masks, but “other forms of humane regulations such as, but not limited to, verbal reminders, reprimands and lectures are encouraged,” said part of Garcia’s directive.
Soriano said the new policy will be favorable to police as the program will help decongest jails in the province.
At her speech during a ceremony for turnover of the masks, Garcia said fines are “anti-poor” and an added burden to people who are already suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, fines for failure to wear face masks in public areas in the different towns and cities of Cebu province range from P300 to P500.
Garcia’s move came after a man in Cavite died on April 3, 2021 after he was ordered to do 300 pushups by local policemen who apprehended him for buying drinking water past 6 p.m.—a violation of the quarantine curfew.