DAVAO CITY: The city government has collected PHP1.4 million in fines from violators of the anti-smoking ordinance during the first quarter of the year, the Vices Regulation Unit (VRU) and the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) reported Thursday. VRU officer-in-charge Hernando Las stated that 1,772 violators were apprehended in the first quarter, an increase from the 1,630 apprehensions in the same period last year.
According to Philippines News Agency, cases were filed against 57 individuals who did not pay their violation tickets within three working days. "The unpaid ticket should not stay for more than a month, or else we need to file the complaint through the City Prosecutor's Office," Las explained, noting that the cases filed are typically for second or third offenses. The DCPO reiterated its call for business establishments to comply with the amended closed-circuit television (CCTV) ordinance, which took effect in February. The advisory followed a double murder case in a downtown condominium found to be in violation of the CCTV policy. Capt. Hazel Tuazon, DCPO spokesperson, indicated that charges against the establishment owners are being considered, as the condominium's CCTV cameras were non-functional.