Navotas quarantine violators with no government ID face fines

MANILA, Philippines — The Navotas City government has passed an ordinance imposing a P5,000 fine on quarantine violators who fail to present a government-issued ID.

In Ordinance No. 2021-19, residents caught violating the curfew or not wearing face masks will continue to be “penalized” with a mandatory swab test.

But those who refuse to present their government-issued ID for the mandatory tests will be penalized with the fine, Mayor Toby Tiangco said yesterday.

The mayor clarified the reimposition of the fine, which was waived in a previous ordinance to encourage more residents to undergo tests, after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra asked local government units on Monday to penalize quarantine violators with community service instead of fines or imprisonment due to financial difficulties brought about by the pandemic.

Tiangco said the P5,000 fine is the maximum penalty on a violator who continues to resist swab testing efforts by not showing a government-issued ID.

The latest ordinance was prompted by incidents of residents giving false names or addresses and saying they don’t have a government-issued ID so that they would not be listed for a swab test.