City Council mulls fine for those defying mandatory swab testing

DAVAO City June 17 (PIA) The 19th City Council might impose a fine for those defying the mandatory swab test through the Davao QR code and through the advice of the contact tracers.

Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta, chair of the committee on peace and order and public safety of the 19th City Council clarified that there is no penalty yet for those who received an advisory through the DQR Code and from the contact tracers for mandatory swab test.  

She said it is just a proposal which will be a subject for a public hearing Friday with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated and the measure will be presented in the plenary of the City Council on Tuesday for voting by the members of the City Council.  

Sunga-Acosta said the measure is due for approval by the City Council due to the surge of COVID-19 cases initially in Metro Manila and with the presence of many variants have affected Visayas and Mindanao.  

“This is the trend when we travel, there is the tendency to pass on the virus,” she said.  

Sunga-Acosta revealed that the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force made a resolution for the City Council to come up with an ordinance penalizing those who need to swab following the contact tracing.  

She said the contact tracers conveyed a difficulty on lying persons who do not actually disclosed people they mingled with.  

Sunga-Acosta said this is a problem for those who need to be swabbed and for those who need to be isolated.  

She said the management of COVID-19 cases has experienced difficulty if the persons concerned would not cooperate.  

“They suggested that we will come with an ordinance penalizing those who are identified for swab tests, and quarantine,” Sunga-Acosta said. 

She recalled that the law declaring the national pandemic has a penalty for people who defy the minimum public health standard at P20,000.  

The proposed ordinance has a penalty at P5,000. 

“Economically, the law is not applicable to Dabawenyos because of the cost of the penalty,” Sunga-Acosta said.  

She said that the proposed ordinance is a measure designed to control the spread of the virus when doing the contact tracing.  

Sunga-Acosta said the swab test is free and people have nothing to be afraid for them to refuse the process.  

She stressed that it is clear in one of the executive orders issued by the City Government that a person needs to undergo mandatory swab test once issued advisory by the DQR Code system. 

 
“Since it is only an executive order, according to the Local Government Code, you cannot penalize.” she said. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)

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