The Quezon City local government personnel and elements of the Quezon City Police Department in Manila arrested scores of people roaming the streets without quarantine passes in violation of the ECQ being enforced in the city. Violators have been lectured on the importance of heeding the call to stay home amidst the corona virus pandemic spreading in the communities. (Photo by Maria TAN / AFP)
Eagle News – More than 108,000 people have violated the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine protocols, according to the Philippine National Police.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who also serves as the spokesperson for the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said that even President Rodrigo Duterte had noticed that many have been taking the lightly and violating its protocols.
“Napapansin po ito ni Pangulong Duterte at siyempre ng mga miyembro ng IATF na medyo nagiging kampante na po ang ating mga kababayan pagdating sa ECQ,” he said.
He said that the PNP has so far reported 108,088 violators of the enhanced community quarantine protocols
-Inspection of private vehicles travelling along major roads effective immediately-
“So to address this and the reported increase in the number of vehicles travelling along EDSA and other major thoroughfares ng Metro Manila, at sa utos ng ating Pangulo, the Philippine National Police will strictly impose the policy on authorized persons outside of residence (APOR),” he said.
Effective immediately, the PNP Highway Patrol Group will inspect private vehicles, he said.
If the driver and any of the passengers is not auhorized, the police will issue a violation receipt from the Land Transportation Office or from the Metro Manila Development Authority against the drivers of the vehicles found to be transporting unauthorized persons outside residences.
Nograles again stressed that only frontliners and employees of essential services are exempted from the ECQ.
He said checkpoints would implement stricter measures per barangay, and appealed once again for the public to cooperate.
“Sana po intindihin natin na magiging effective lang itong ECQ sa pag-contain ng COVID-19 kung tayo ay hindi basta-basta na lang nakaka-ikot at lumalabas. This is all being done for us and for our families in order to prevent the virus from spreading,” Nograles said.
“We appeal to everyone to please cooperate and as much as possible stay home. Kaya bahay muna, buhay muna. So pakiusap lang po ‘no, maghihigpit na rin po ang PNP dito. At siyempre iyong lalabag, pasensiya,” he said.
The IATF spokesperson also appeared to communities and barangays to “police” their own ranks.
“Sana na rin po, even within our communities pati sa ating mga barangay, kung may mga pasaway din po, kung maaaring tayo na lang din mismo ay pagsabihan natin – let’s police our own ranks; let’s police our neighbors and communities,” he added.
