No more face covering starting tomorrow
The Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) will start tomorrow apprehending motorcycle and tricycle drivers who cover their faces while driving through the city.
Glenn Antigua, chief for operations of Team, said that motorcycle drivers who are not using the prescribed helmet will also be apprehended.
Today is the last day of Team’s information drive about the city ordinance prohibiting the use of bonnets, masks and other garments that conceal the identity of the drivers and their passengers.
Team decided to start the implementation of City Ordinance 142017-1251 last March 2 by informing the motorcycle and tricycle drivers that the City has an existing law that prohibits the use of bonnets and other facial covers.
According to the ordinance, passengers of motorcycles will also not be allowed to wear the same.
City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing said that Team will start issuing citation tickets for those who are not following the ordinance tomorrow.
Violators of the ordinance will pay a fine of P5,000 and/or imprisonment of six months as penalty.
“Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that nobody likes until dunay mahitabo and all of a sudden mangutana tanan nganong walay gibuhat ang gobyerno (then people ask why the government is not doing anything about it). Para namo (for us), it’s something that we have to do to keep the people safe,” said Quisumbing.
The City Government decided to disallow any face covering for motorcycle and tricycle drivers after several incidents in Mandaue involved riding-in-tandem perpetrators who hid their faces.
Team reminded motorcycle drivers that full-face and half-face helmets are allowed based on the law.
If the motorcycle driver has a tinted helmet, Team advised that the visor must be pulled up whenever they pass by Mandaue so his/her face can be seen.
Quisumbing explained that suggestions like getting the profile of a person whom traffic enforcers think is suspicious cannot be done because it might infringe on individual rights.
“There was an incident of robbery and assault sa Barangay Basak (a few days ago). Now, the police are investigating the issue because maayo na lang bisag nagsul-ob siya og face mask, natagak ang face mask unya nakit-an iyang nawong sa CCTV (closed-circuit television) and based on that the police are following up several leads to be able to arrest the perpetrator (Fortunately the mask fell and his face was caught on camera),” the mayor said.
While the ordinance will be uncomfortable for others, Quisumbing hopes people will understand that they are implementing this for their own safety.
“And I hope that people can understand it from the view of the victims also that they need to see justice. They would like to see closure and hopefully this will help everybody feel safe,” he said.
In a separate interview, Police Regional Office 7 Director Robert Quenery said the ordinance will help the police to identify perpetrators captured in the CCTV cameras.
“Well, that’s favorable sa amin sa law enforcement kasi nga madali silang ma-identify pagkanakikita sila. It would help us in solving crimes for those suspects who would be using motorcycles in the perpetration of their criminal acts,” said Quenery.
Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that nobody likes.
CITY MAYOR GABRIEL LUIS QUISUMBING