Sec. Año suggested 10-30 days imprisonment or a fine for citizens who won't wear face masks

Individuals who would be caught not wearing face masks could be imprisoned for 10 to 30 days, announced on Wednesday by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.

Last Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte called on the police to arrest and subsequently detain those who will not wear a face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo credit: sunstar.com.ph 

“I have no qualms in arresting people who are not wearing [face] mask. It seems to be trivial, but during a time of pandemic, it can be a serious crime. You are transmitting virus, you are a carrier,” Duterte said in a meeting with Cabinet officials.

“You have to ask our police to be more strict. Hulihin talaga. If you are brought to a police station and detained there, that will give you a lesson for all time,” Duterte added, addressing Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año. 

Año said he had a meeting with local chief executives to discuss a uniform policy on penalizing violators of quarantine protocols. He suggested that if the violation is not wearing a face mask it will be 10 to 30 days and not following physical distancing also 10 to 30 days imprisonment.

"Kung ikaw naman ay ipa-fine, it's about P1,000 to P5,000. So 'yan 'yung magiging uniform implementation natin," [If you will be fined, its about 1,000 to 5,000 pesos. So, that would be our uniform implementation.] he added.

Earlier, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has asked the public to wait for the ordinances to be issued on the matter.

“The police can tell individuals to wear masks. They can ask the individuals to go home and get their masks and put it on. But for now, it is just to encourage people to wear masks,” he said in a televised briefing on Tuesday.

The President maintained that he does not like to order the arrest of people, but the health protocols are necessary to save more lives. Still the government mandate the wearing of face masks and physical distancing as precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.