Davao City: Davao City will start using the number coding scheme on the use of Food and Medicine (FM) pass to further limit the movement of people in the government’s fight against the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19).
The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) tasked to implement the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) will use the number coding scheme starting on Saturday, April 18, 2020.
“We will implement this to really control the movement of the people going out of their residents,” said DCPO Director Kirby John Kraft in a phone interview on Thursday.
The use of the number coding scheme has been decided following observation that many people and private vehicles are on the road despite the lockdown rules.
“There are some people who abuse the use of FM passes. Some of them do not even buy food but only loiter around the city,” Kraft said.
Mayor Inday Sara Duterte also reiterated calls for Dabawenyos to continue following the ECQ guidelines, especially the “stay at home” as the coronavirus pandemic is still unfolding.
“I hope nga masabtan sa mga tao nga kita ang gadala sa kagaw, kita ang ga-suroy-suroy, kita ang ga-spread ug kagaw. Mao nang kinahanglan nga magpuyo ta para dili ta matakdan (I hope the people will understand because we are carriers of the virus, we are the moving around and spreading the virus. This is why we need to stay in our homes so we do not get the virus),” Mayor Sara said.
Under the number coding scheme, the FM passes with control numbers beginning with 1,3,5,7,9 can be used by the holder on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while FM passes with control numbers 2,4,6,8,0 can be used on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
No FM passes are allowed to be used on Sundays. This is the day when supermarkets and grocery stores are requested to conduct disinfection and sanitize their premises.
DCPO has also set-up 46 control points near wet markets and grocery stores all over the city to check and ensure that people use the FM pass according to number coding.
Violators of the number coding will face charges such as disobedience and violation of the Bayanihan Act.
The authorized persons and all frontliners specified under Executive Order 23-B are exempted from the number coding scheme. CIO