Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Monday clarified that her decision to abolish the fine for not wearing masks is not meant to discourage the use of protective gear.

“This is not about telling people not to wear masks. I said we are going to scrap the penalties for not wearing masks. I did not say we are discouraging people to wear masks,” Garcia said in Cebuano in an interview with the press at the Capitol.

She said imposing monetary fines on the mask rule violators is “anti-poor and oppressive”.

She said that most violators who had been caught were commoners – bikers and workers on the streets and public places, and not those people in their cars and houses.

“Instead of having the violators pay, let us give them mask and remind them to follow the health protocols,” Garcia said.

She said she will release a memorandum “as soon as possible” to all mayors and chiefs of police in the province, asking them to simply warn and remind violators.

She explained that this new directive is meant to “rationalize” the mask-wearing policy, as one of the protective measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“I don’t just blindly follow policies. I make policies based on a thorough analysis of data. My decisions have always been data-driven,” she said.

The Capitol’s mandate to drop the fine policy is in “accordance with the greater good” of the public, Garcia said.

The governor also instructed police officials in the province to deal humanely with violators of quarantine protocols, particularly those not wearing masks.

“They can be reminded to wear a mask, admonished to wear a mask, but never should they be mistreated,” Garcia earlier said. “We are kinder to criminals than violators of this so-called mask-wearing thing. Let’s deal with the real criminals, not violators of some illogical imposition.”

Garcia’s move came following reports of quarantine violators being mistreated by authorities.

Various local government units in the province have their respective policies, imposing fines on quarantine violations, including on non-wearing of masks.

Garcia said requiring people to pay for violating the minimum health measures has further burdened ordinary workers who were economically struggling amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s bad. It’s hard for our people now to eke out a living, and then you ask them to pay,” she said. “I don’t want any maltreatment and abuse for the Cebuanos.”

Photo Source: Facebook/Cebu Provincial Government