Brig. General Joselito T. Esquivel, Jr. (PNA file photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – The Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) said it has recorded a total of 3,408 violators of enhanced community quarantine guidelines being implemented in different provinces in the Caraga Region.
Brig. Gen. Joselito T. Esquivel Jr., PRO-13 director, said Tuesday the recorded violations from March 17 to April 20 include disobedience to ECQ rules, violation of curfew hours, hoarding and profiteering.
“We will continue enforcing the law and remind our stakeholders across the region that PRO-13 police forces are committed in the service to God, country, and fellowmen,” Esquivel said.
Most of the individuals taken into custody violated curfew hours, totaling 2,028 violators, while those who disobeyed persons in authority numbered 1,154 violators.
Most of the violators were immediately released after counseling from local authorities, Esquivel said.
In the same period, police units throughout the region also launched 125 operations against hoarders and profiteers, resulting in the arrest of 47 individuals.
Esquivel said the 47 suspects will be charged with hoarding and profiteering, including applicable laws and executive orders issued by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in the wake of the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic.
Region 13 (Caraga) is composed of five provinces: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands; cities of Bayugan, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao, Tandag, Bislig; and 67 municipalities. Butuan City is the regional center. (PNA)
