MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has approved an ordinance reducing the penalties for those caught not wearing face masks or face coverings in public places.
The new ordinance, approved by the city council this week, said there is a need to decrease the penalties for face mask violations given the current economic situation.
It amended previous measures imposing a fine of P1,000, P3,000 and P5,000 for first, second and third offenses, respectively.
Under the new ordinance, those caught not wearing face masks or other forms of face covering will face a fine of P300, P500 and P1,000 for the first, second and third offenses, respectively.
Violators also face a month in jail upon the discretion of the court.
The new ordinance also mandates the issuance of an ordinance violation receipt to violators so they would no longer have to be brought to the police station or to the Amoranto Stadium for documentation.
Instead, violators will just have to pay the fine within five days after the issuance of the receipt or be charged before the city prosecutor’s office.
Earlier this week, the city government apprehended over 1,300 violators of quarantine protocols, particularly for failure to wear face masks.
They were brought to the Quezon Memorial Circle for proper documentation, followed by a lecture and film viewing on health protocols and other precautionary measures on the pandemic.