PNP deputy chief for operations, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. (File photo)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday reminded local government units (LGUs) that while they can implement a lockdown in some of their villages, exemptions to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) must be strictly observed.
“There is no absolute lockdown. Even if we declare one, there are still those who are exempted from it. Included there are our health workers who respond to those who are in need of medical attention,” PNP deputy chief for operations, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in Filipino during a Laging Handa briefing.
Eleazar also urged LGUs to coordinate with them to ensure the implementation of quarantine guidelines.
"The police and military are there to implement that. And of course, our cargo, food items must be allowed to pass," he added.
Under the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, all cargo vehicles must be allowed to pass through checkpoints to ensure stable supply of food and other basic commodities.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier backed the imposition of lockdowns on villages whose residents continue to defy quarantine rules.
On Monday, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso ordered a total lockdown of Barangay 20 following reports that residents gathered for an amateur boxing match held on its street.
Eleazar urged the local officials or the public to immediately report to the Joint Task Force (JTF) Covid hotlines so they can immediately act on those complaints.
The JTF Covid Hotlines are the following: 0998-849-0013 for Smart users and 0917-538-2495 for Globe users. The JTF CoViD Shield can also be reached through its email address: [email protected].
The JTF CoViD Shield is the enforcement arm of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID). It is composed of the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Meanwhile, Eleazar said police personnel are also taking precautions to protect themselves against Covid-19.
He said police officers were ordered to maintain a "contact diary".
"Our chief PNP, Gen. Archie Gamboa, said we must maintain an individual diary. Once we are infected, we can go back to this diary every day. Where did we go? Who are the people that we met and had contact with? What time is that? This also helps us in contact tracing," he said.
He added that having a contact diary will also help Filipinos not only in recalling what they have done for the past 14 days but also determine whether they are considered as suspect Covid-19 cases.
As of Tuesday, the PNP Health Service reported that 21 more police officers, all from Metro Manila, tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases in the police force to 50.
It said four more cops have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to eight.
It also recorded a total of 254 PNP personnel who are categorized as probable Covid-19 cases, including 29 29 Police Commissioned Officers (PCO), 214 Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCO) and 11 Non-Uniformed Personnel (NUP).
A total of 348 personnel were recommended as suspect Covid-19 cases including 102 PCO, 218 PNCO, and 28 NUP while 339 personnel which include 163 probable and 158 suspect Covid-19 cases have completed self-quarantine. (PNA)
