TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 18 (PIA) – To some towns in Bohol using their local curfew ordinances, the penalty for violation of quarantine policies ranges from P50 to P200 to P2,500.

As a possible effect of the easily affordable penalties, people would tend to ignore the order to stay-at-home and pay their way out of the violations.

A gallery of persons apprehended violations of the quarantine protocols shared by the Tagbilaran City Police Station. In Bohol, police said they nab an average of 123 persons daily from March 16 to June 28. (PIA Bohol/ TCPS)

But not anymore after Gov. Arthur Yap put up a rule in his Executive Order No. 38 which he signed on July 15, 2020.

In a possible bid to unify the policies, the governor, who also issued a series of executive orders directing residents to properly observe the home quarantine against the dreaded corona virus disease, now said violators of quarantine protocols under Executive Order No. 33 and all other subsisting valid and effective issuances shall be prosecuted under Provincial Ordinance 2020-007.

Community quarantine

Earlier, the governor issued Executive Order No. 8, which puts Bohol under Community Quarantine, Executive Order No. 9 which suspends classes to keep people in their homes, and Executive Order No. 10 which bans inbound travel to Bohol.

With Executive Order No. 13, the governor also put in a province-wide curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Immediately, the Philippine National Police and their town stations set up quarantine control points in major highways to impose the stay-at-home orders and keep people off the streets.

Then there was Executive Order No. 15 which orders the mandatory use of face mask outside residences.

Few days later, the governor also issued Executive Order No. 16 which put minors and those over 65 years old on a 24-hour curfew as elders are prone to sickness while minors can be unwitting vectors of the virus into the homes.

And then came Executive Order No. 17 which imposes a partial liquor ban to actively implement physical distancing as mandated by health authorities against the spread of the virus.

Later in the duration of the home quarantine, Yap issued Executive Order No. 28 which amends Executive Order 16 and 16-A, and now allows minors and elders to go out on certain days from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Executive Order No. 31 puts Bohol under General Community Quarantine and re-opened some essential businesses, underscoring the strict implementation of health and safety protocols while Executive Order No. 33 placed Bohol into Modified General Community Quarantine and increased the number of establishments opened.

Meanwhile, on March 24, the Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan issued Provincial Ordinance No. 2020-007 which intensifies the precautionary measures to avert the widespread contagion of COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases In Bohol and imposes sanctions for its violations.

Applicable laws

According to then Bohol Police Chief Jonathan Cabal in an interview, applicable laws include Republic Act 11332, or the act providing policies and prescribing procedures on surveillance and response to notifiable diseases, epidemics and health events of public health concern.

The law says non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report and or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern and non-cooperation of persons or entities identified as having notifiable disease or affected by health event of public concern can be penalized with not less than P20,000 but not more than P50,000, or imprisonment of not less than one month or not more than six months.

Also, for violations of Article 148 of the Revised Penal Code regarding seriously resisting or attacking persons in authority, metes a penalty of not more than P1,000 and prision correctional or imprisonment of six months and one day to not more than six years.

For violations of Article 151, or disobedience to persons in authority and their agents, can be penalized with P500 and arrestor mayor of one month and a day to six months.

But in the situation of the local police, their familiarity with the violators could impair with the prosecution, that amicably settling for the provisions of the local ordinance is usually done.

Provincial Ordinance No. 2020-007 could unify all these issues based on Executive Order 38 which the governor signed on July 15.

Among the ordinance’s prohibited acts are non-cooperation of persons identified as having infectious disease, non-cooperation of entities or establishments on the quarantine protocols, violations of any of the issuances and orders issued by the Local Chief Executives in relation to the implementation of preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19, the dissemination of fraudulent, fake news or misleading information in various forms of media including social media, and the non-performance of duties of barangay officials in connection with the ordinance.

Curfew violations, like roaming around public places within curfew hours, rumor mongering or spreading fake news, can be fined between P3,000 to P5,000 and imprisonment for less than a year while establishments found in violation of the health and safety protocols can be fined the same amount and can also lose their business permits, according to the ordinance. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)