LA TRINIDAD, Benguet April 23 – The municipal government recently issued a directive implementing the pertinent provisions of Ordinance No. 3, 2020 prescribing penalties for violation of the curfew hours during the declaration of the extended Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine due to epidemic emergency in the municipality.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda issued Executive Order No. 20-2020 which outlined the persons that will be exempted from the prevailing 24-hour curfew in the municipality that include one representative per household who are in possession of the required quarantine pass issued by the concerned barangay coinciding with the exclusive market hours for the barangay concerned, health workers and emergency frontliners such as employees of the health department, local government, hospitals with duly issued identification cards of certificate of employment, and religious leaders.
Under the aforesaid order, any person who will be found violating the same shall be penalized with a fine of P500 for the first offense, a fine of P1,500 for the second offense and a fine of P2,500 or imprisonment of 5 days or both upon the discretion of the court for the third offense.
The local chief executive disclosed that any person apprehended who willfully accepts such offense and not willing to contest the same may voluntarily pay the amount of P500 to the municipal treasury office.
He authorized the members of the town’s law enforcement team to strictly enforce the aforesaid order where the team will be composed of any police officer assigned under the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station, duly elected punong barangay, barangay kagawads in their respective barangays, all barangay tanods within their respective barngays, deputized Army reservists and other persons authorized by the municipal mayor.
Earlier, the municipal council passed Ordinance No. 3-2020 prescribed the penalties for violation of the prevailing curfew hours during the declaration of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine due to the ongoing epidemic emergency in the municipality.
Salda disclosed that a 24-hour curfew is being imposed in the municipality pursuant to the provisions of Proclamation No. 922 which placed the country under a state of public health emergency, Proclamation No. 929 that placed the country under a state of calamity and Republic Act (RA) 11469 or the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act of 2020.
Further, he asserted that based on the guidelines that were crafted by the inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, strict home quarantine should be imposed in all households in the entire country to prevent the rapid spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that will surely pose a serious threat to public health and safety, thus, the compliance of the residents to such policy is mandated.
The municipal mayor called on the residents to continue staying at home if they do not have anything important to do outside their homes because by staying at home, they are greatly helping the government in its efforts to combat the supposed rapid spread of the deadly virus that continues to threaten the health condition of the vulnerable sectors and those who continue to disobey the prescribed rules and regulations for such purpose.
By HENT
