DAVAO CITY (PNA) – The City Health Office (CHO) here will finally implement the anti-spitting ordinance effective next year in order to lessen the alarming rate of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases in the city.

City health officer Dr. Josephine J. Villafuerte said this city has the highest number of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis with 275 reported cases in the Davao Region.

Villafuerte emphasized that a patient with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is harder to treat than those with ordinary tuberculosis.

“The treatment, however, is expensive and yet there is no assurance that the patients will recover since they might not be able to respond well to their medicines. With a total of 275 multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases in the city, the government might allot a budget with an estimate of more than P60 million for their treatment,” she said.

The anti-spitting ordinance was passed by the City Council last August 25 and lapsed into law by default on October 20 when Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte failed to act on the proposal.

The ordinance was published last November 16 and was also posted in public places such as in the bulletin board of City Hall, within the premises of San Pedro Church and Bankerohan Public Market and Agdao Public Market last October 21 and 28 and November 4.

Villafuerte said the number of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases will decrease with the help of the anti-spitting ordinance by prohibiting the public, particularly the infected persons, from spitting and thus, spreading the germs.

The ordinance stated that “no person shall carelessly or intentionally spit saliva, phlegm, mucus or other substance from the mouth in public places within the city.”

She said that violation of this ordinance will be penalized by a fine of P100 for the first offense; P200 for the second offense; and P300 for the third offense.