MANILA—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) turned over on 10 May 2021 the supply of 50,000 face masks to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for distribution to individuals they’ve detained for not wearing their masks properly in public.

This was following President Duterte’s order during his Talk to the People on 5 May 2021, to instead give washable face masks to those apprehended by the PNP for face mask violations, and not to give punishment nor hurt them.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez immediately committed to PNP Chief General Guillermo Eleazar to provide the needed washable facemask from the current “Libreng Mask para sa Masa” project of President Duterte, which has already given out 26,426,840 free face masks to several poor communities around the country.

The trade chief stressed that the distribution of face masks to the health protocol violators is part of the government’s efforts to reduce the number of active cases in the country and mitigate the impact of the pandemic to our economy.

He added, “With the strict compliance of Filipinos, we can safely push for the reopening of low-risk, essential business activities while keeping communities safe from the threats of the pandemic. What we aim for, apart from the ongoing health initiatives, is to reverse the negative impact of the imposed lockdowns to our local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).”

The trade secretary also echoed Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s emphasis for “malasakit” in handing face masks to violators, especially for the less fortunate.

DTI’s donation of masks to the PNP is in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Presidential Management Staff (PMS). ♦

Date of Release: 10 May 2021