At this point, it’s probably safe to assume that most if not all of you have made putting a face mask on before heading out part of your daily routine. If not, please do. And if the threat of a deadly airborne virus isn’t enough to convince you to mask up, at least do so for the sake of your bank account.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has released a list of the capital’s local government units (LGU) and their corresponding penalties for failing to wear a mask and not adhering to social-distancing measures. Look:
Mask and social distancing protocol penalties
LGU |
First offense |
Second offense |
Third offense |
| Pasay City | P1,000 | P2,000 or 15-day detention | P5,000 or one-month imprisonment |
| Pasig City | P500 and eight hours of community service | P1,000 and 12 hours of community service | P3,000 to P5,000 and 16 to 24 hours of community service |
| Pateros | P2,000 or 12 hours detention | N/A | N/A |
| Quezon City | P300 | P500 | P1,000 and/or one month of imprisonment |
| San Juan City | P3,000 | P5,000 and/or up to three months of imprisonment | N/A |
| Taguig City | P1,000 or four hours of community service | N/A | N/A |
| Valenzuela City | P1,000 | P3,000 | P5,000 |
| Caloocan City | Reprimand | P5,000 and/or one month of imprisonment | N/A |
| Las Piñas CIty | P1,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Makati City | P1,000 | P3,000 | P5,000 and/or up to six months of imprisonment |
| Mandaluyong City | P100 | P200 | P300 to P500 and/or one week of imprisonment |
| Manila City | P1,000 | P2,000 | P5,000 or one-month imprisonment |
| Marikina City | P1,000 or eight hours of community service | N/A | N/A |
| Muntinlupa City | Three hours of community service | Offender shall be monitored and strictly prohibited from leaving his/her residence except for emergency situations | N/A |
| Navotas City | P250 and eight hours of community service | P500 and 16 hours of community service | P750 and 24 hours of community service |
| Parañaque City | P1000 or six hours of detention | P2,000 or nine hours of detention | P3,000 or 12 hours of detention |
For the most part, being caught not wearing a mask the first time results in a relative slap on the wrist. Some LGUs will only give a reprimand or require some community service.
Mandaluyong City, for example, will only impose a P100 fine for your first offense, while Muntinlupa City will require you to attend three hours of community service. This isn’t the case in Malabon City, though, where authorities will immediately slap you with a hefty P5,000 fine for the first offense. Yikes.
Fines and penalties ramp up significantly as you rack up offenses. In Makati City, the LGU will hand out a P5,000 fine for offense number three, and violators potentially face up to six months of imprisonment depending on the court’s discretion. Quezon City, despite imposing a relatively light P1,000 charge for the third offense, can also impose a one-month prison sentence.
Oh, and in case you’ve forgotten, the wearing of face masks is required inside vehicles, too, unless you’re sitting alone in one.
Frankly, we don’t know why this matter should even come to a fine or prison sentence. Just put a face mask on before leaving the house. It’s a slight inconvenience, but it’s really nothing in the grand scheme of everything that’s going on.
