The Land Transportation Office (LTO) clarified on Tuesday that there will be no apprehensions yet for violators of the face mask policy inside private vehicles.
During a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said that violators will not be apprehended for now, since the policy is being reviewed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Department of Health.
This came on the heels of various complaints against the policy which requires passengers in private vehicles to wear face masks, regardless if they come in the same household.
“Pero pansamantala po, kung kayo ay masisita, hindi naman po kayo pagmumultahin agad. Papaliwanag lang po sa inyo yung kahalagahan nung paguutos na kailangan nakasuot ng face mask,” he said.
Meanwhile, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran also explained during the press briefing that the policy is scheduled for discussion among the members of the IATF.
“Sinasabi nga po natin na kailangan natin ma-iron out o ma-plantsa yung mga enforcement and implementation details nyan. At once po na-plantsa ‘yan, ay magu-update po kami lahat sa inyo,” she said.
“Sabi nga ni Asec. Galvante, habang wala pang decision, wala po munang hulihan na mangyayari for that matter,” she added.
LTO-NCR director Clarence Guinto earlier said that those who are living in the same household should still wear their face masks while they’re inside a private vehicle in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.
Guinto said that violators will be slapped with a fine of P2,000 for the first offense and P3,000 for the second offense. Third-time violators, meanwhile, will be fined P5,000 and will have their driver’s license suspended for a year.
