Davao police identify officials who ordered quarantine violators to swim in a dirty canal

June 4, 2020

Davao police on Thursday said they have identified local government officials, including a cop, who ordered quarantine violators to swim in a dirty canal last month.

In a radio interview, Police Colonel Kirby John Kraft, Davao City police director, said the highest official identified so far is a barangay councilor.

“Officials involved in the incident were already identified… but no specific number on how many were involved since they (victims) have different affidavits,” Kraft said.

Kraft said seven out of the 10 complainants went to their office to file a case against the officials.

Kraft said all officials might face criminal cases and an additional administrative to the alleged policeman involved.

“We will investigate and after they give their affidavits, we will file to the court to determine what are their violations,” he added.

Kraft said the persons refused to follow the quarantine rules in the city, resulting in punishment. However, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said what they did is “inhumane”.

“Is it humane to force someone to swim in a drainage canal? No, it is not humane,” the mayor said.

“What is humane, is when you asked them to clean the drainage canal. Now I am calling the attention of the people behind such idea,” she added.

Kraft said the alleged involved officials have yet to report to their office.

Kraft added that the punishment is not included in their protocol.

“What we did is arrest them, then file through regular filing of disobedience… We don’t have the right to punish them because we have judicial system,” he said.

The incident went viral last May 30 after a netizen uploaded it on Facebook.It only caught the attention of the local government Wednesday after one of the violators posted on his own social media complaining that what happened is worse than the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“What you did to us was unfair. We will not die because of COVID. We will die from leptospirosis after you let us swim in the filthy canal. Police also unreasonably hit us without asking us the reasons,” the person said in local dialect. Ella Dionisio/DMS