Quarantine violators will be penalized up to P5K starting August 16

ECQ violators are told to do physical activities at the Plaza Independencia in this May 17, 2020 photo. | CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Residents in Cebu City will be penalized for violating the quarantine protocols starting August 16, 2020.

The City Ordinance No. 2566, or Ordinance Penalizing Any Violation in Relation to the Implementation of General/Enhanced Community Quarantine in Cebu City during Public Health Crisis, was passed by the City Council on June 26, 2020, but it was not published in general circulation until July 31, 2020.

The ordinance could only be implemented 15 days after it was published in general circulation.

“Natanggong siya sa secreteriat mao nadugay siya naimplement. Pero sugod karong Agosto 16, mapenalize na gyod nato ang mga violators sa syudad during the quarantine,” said Councilor David Tumulak, who was the primary author of the ordinance.

(It was stuck at the secretariat that is why it was implemented late. However, starting this August 16, 2020, the violators will be penalized during the quarantine.)

Violations include not wearing masks in public, going out without a quarantine pass or without authorization, public gathering more than the allowable number of people, failure to practice social distancing in vehicles and public places, and failure to uphold these guidelines in owned or operated establishments.

The guidelines will depend on the quarantine status of the city, and if they violate any protocol of that quarantine status, they may be penalized from P1,500 to P5,000 or be jailed up to 30 days.

Read more: Cebu City PROBE notes lesser quarantine violators

For the first offense, the penalty is P1,500 or serving up to 30 days imprisonment. For the second offense, the violator will pay a fine of P3,000 and will serve 30 days in jail.

For the third offense and multiple offenders, they will be fined P5,000 and serve 30 days in jail.

Establishments who fail to uphold the basic protocols, they may lose their permit to operate or even a total revocation of their business permit.

Until August 16, 2020, the violators of the quarantine pass will only undergo lecture and community service up to 8 hours depending on the violation.

Tumulak urged the public to follow the quarantine protocols to avoid having to pay the fine.

He said that the protocols were set for everyone’s safety from the coronavirus and was necessary to stop its spread. /dbs