Press Release
March 12, 2020

PACQUIAO SEEKS TO BAN SPITTING IN PUBLIC PLACES

Sen. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao has filed a bill seeking to prohibit spitting and expelling nasal mucous in public places.

Pacquiao filed Senate Bill No. 1406, also known as the "Anti-Spitting Act of 2020." The measure provides for a steep penalty for those who shall be caught spitting saliva or expelling nasal mucous in any place to which the public has access.

"This unsanitary and irresponsible act has to stop," Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao filed the bill in light of the increasing confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. Considering that the respiratory illness has spread in a rapid pace, Pacquiao said there has to be a concrete preventive measure in place.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the virus is thought to spread from person-to-person, most likely through droplets of saliva or mucous carried in the air for up to six feet or so when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Under the proposed measure, anyone caught spitting or expelling nasal mucous would be slapped with a fine of PHP 5,000 for the first offense and PHP10,000 for the second offense. For third time violators, a fine of PHP 50,000 would be imposed and a mandatory attendance in a health seminar to be conducted by the Department of Health.

When the measure is enacted into law, the risk of catching a contagious disease would be lessened.

Other diseases that spread through saliva include tuberculosis, hepatitis and viral meningitis, to name a few.

Pacquiao is optimistic that his colleagues in the Senate would support and swiftly pass the bill into law to prevent further transmission of COVID-19 and other deadly infectious diseases.

As of this writing, the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. This means there is a worldwide spread of a disease over a wide geographic area and affect a high proportion of the population.

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