100 cops headed for Cebu City to enforce ECQ

June 18, 2020

A total of 100 police augmentation force from Western and Eastern Visayas were deployed to help enforce the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City where a spike in COVID-19 cases was recorded by the Department of Health (DOH).

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Archie Francisco Gamboa directed the regional offices in Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas to send their  contingents comprising of 50 personnel each to be send to  Cebu City upon the recommendation of PNP Deputy Chief for Operations and concurrent Joint Task Force COVID-19 Commander, Lt. General Guillermo Eleazar.

Gamboa also ordered the Director for Integrated Police Operations in Visayas (DIPO-Vis), Major General Israel Dickson to coordinate and monitor police contingent that will start moving into Cebu City on Thursday.

The regional health services of West Visayas and Eastern Visayas were tasked to ensure people had requisite health checks prior to leaving their home regions.

Earlier, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año instructed JTF COVID Shield to focus on Cebu City after its status was returned to ECQ.

Eleazar said the reinforcement from the two regions will be assigned in Cebu City and will be under Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, JTF regional commander of Central Visayas.

For Talisay City, the reinforcements will come from the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

“All of these police reinforcements will be assigned at the frontline—supervising and manning the checkpoints, and the conduct of regular patrol to enforce the minimum health safety protocols of wearing face masks and observance of physical distancing,” he said.

While the implementation of the quarantine rules in Cebu City and other areas in Central Visayas will be under Ferro, Eleazar said they will keep their  lines open for any additional assistance and guidance  from the national level JTF COVID Shield.  Ella Dionisio/DMS