DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 January) – The city government announced Friday that the use of Safe Davao QR (DQR) will be mandatory in all offices and establishments effective February 3 as one of the measures against the spread of COVID-19.
In her Executive Order No. 2, Mayor Sara Duterte said the personal DQR codes of individuals will be scanned upon entering the premises of offices and establishments for the purpose of contact-tracing once the implementation becomes mandatory.
Section 2 of the order requires scanning of the codes in all offices and establishments, except those that are not enclosed or are not inside a structure with a roof and walls, such as milk tea stall, ambulant vendor, lechon manok stand, sari-sari store, bakery and palengke stall.
Buildings that contain several offices or stores inside, such as malls, hospitals, and commercial complexes, don’t need to scan QR codes. The scanning will be done by individual stores and offices upon entry and exit of their customers and clients.
The DQR system is an electronic contact-tracing and travel pass platform, intended to implement contactless gathering and electronic storage data within the city.
Citing data released by the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Davao, the city government said around 1.8 million individuals and 77,000 establishments have registered with the DQR.
Under the DQR ordinance passed on December 7, the DQR system must be used by all individuals, be they residents or non-residents, who need to enter the city for essential or work/business purposes.
Government and private offices, event venues, hospitals, hotels, malls, stores, groceries, mini-marts, restaurants, carinderia, palengke, places of worship, educational institutions and all other organizations, including their sub-offices or branches, are also required to implement the system.
The ordinance penalizes individuals who take advantage of the DQR for “non-essential” purposes, use cancelled DQR codes, or refuse to present valid codes for scanning or inspection when so required by persons of authority.
Under the ordinance, a reprimand will be meted to first-time offenders, a fine of P500 or community service, or both, for second-time offenders, and a fine of P1,500 or month imprisonment, or both, for third-time offenders.
The ordinance likewise prescribes the penalty of P500 for first offense, P1,000 for second offense, and P1,500 or one month imprisonment, or both, for third offense, for the following prohibited acts: lending of personal DQR to another person, use and possession of a fake DQR, use of a fake ID, birth certificate, and business registration number, or another individual’s ID or birth certificate or another’s business registration number to register for a DQR, making or selling fake identifies for DQR registration, and hacking of the DQR system and or identity theft.
It added that any person guilty of tampering or hacking the online link will be prosecuted for cybercrimes under Republic Act 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act) and any violations involving RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act).
The Task Force Davao, Davao City Police Office, City Health Office, and barangay officials have been directed to strictly enforce the ordinance.
As of January 21, the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao reported 240 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total cases in the region to 15,696, with 2,583 active ones, 12,490 recoveries and 623 deaths.
Of the total cases, Davao City, which reported the highest COVID-19 incidence in Mindanao, tallied 10,768, with 1,552 active ones, 8,724 recoveries, and 492 deaths. Davao de Oro reported 777 cases, Davao del Norte 2,147, Davao del Sur 1,136, Davao Occidental 168, and Davao Oriental 700. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)