Mayor Mark Golez came to the defense of the Silay police today, February 7, for making persons apprehended for failing to wear face masks march with their hands outstretched from the city’s police station to the plaza.
He said this has been practiced for eight months already as disciplinary action against violators of a city ordinance requiring the observance of health protocols such as the wearing of face masks because there are so many who do not take the need to guard against COVID-19 seriously.
The ordinance requires that those who fail to wear masks pay P1,000, P3,000, and P5,000 for firsts, second and third offenses, respectively, and to do community work, he said.
However, since most of the offenders cannot pay the fine they are instead made to march from the police station to the city plaza covered court with their hands outstretched to also remind them of the need for social distancing, Golez said.
When they reach the Silay City covered court they are made to stand before a coffin and are lectured on what could happen to them if they get COVID-19, he said. They are also made to pledge that they will observe health protocols to keep everyone safe, Golez added.
They are then made to pray, given face masks, and sent home, he said.
Golez said these violators are not harmed, their rights are not violated, they are just being made to understand why they need to wear faces mask and observe health protocols.
The violators are being given a choice to pay a fine or march to the covered court to pledge that they will not commit the offense again, Golez said.
Commission on Human Rights spokesperson, Jacqueline Ann de Guia, said Saturday, that the CHR will look into the Silay police video posted on social media on Friday, February 5, showing a group apprehended for allegedly violating the city ordinance mandating the wearing of face masks.
The CHR agrees that we continuously need to work together to curb the transmission of the COVID-19 virus by faithfully adhering to health safety protocols set by experts, she said.
However, “as we have repeatedly stressed, addressing the current pandemic must always be guided by human rights principles. After all, the present national health crisis is a human rights issue – not a mere law enforcement agenda,” she said.
The CHR office in Region 6 will conduct a probe on this incident to also hear the side of the Silay PNP, she added.
“We continuously remind law enforcers to adhere to human rights-based policing, including respect for every person’s dignity. Parading alleged quarantine violators on the streets may amount to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment penalized by Republic Act No. 9745 (Anti-Torture Act) and barred by Convention Against Torture signed by the Philippines,” she said.
“Human rights must always rest at the core of law enforcement. We urge law enforcement officers to also coordinate with public health experts on how to better explain and ensure compliance to health safety protocols amidst the pandemic. At the same time, we look forward to the cooperation of the PNP in Silay City towards addressing this human rights concern,” she added.*