DAVAO CITY-— The City Council held a special session on Wednesday and passed an Ordinance Instituting the Davao City COVID-19 Enhanced Community Quarantine Policies, prohibiting any form of harassment, discrimination against frontline workers.
In a Facebook post, Vice Mayor Sebatian Duterte announced they “Passed an Ordinance prohibiting any form of harassment, discrimination, prejudice or inflicting any shame or humiliation against frontline workers, confirmed infected patients, PUMs, or PUIs and close contacts during this state of National Health Emergency”.
The Ordinance states that “Any person who violates any of the provisions of the said Ordinance shall be punished by a fine of Php 5,000 and/or imprisonment for not more than one year.”
Councilor Edgar Ibuyan in an interview with NewsLine said the ordinance was passed upon the request of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to protect the frontliners of the city.
As it is now, Davao frontliners have not experienced discrimination but the city has already instituted a measure to prevent any occurrence of the same.
In some areas, frontline workers have been discriminated against and being subjected to harassment and physical maltreatment.
In the report of the Department of Health XI, as of April 8, Davao City has 69 positive cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19); out of it, 34 recovered while 13 others have died.
