Follow ECQ guidelines, maximum tolerance to avoid confrontation: Eleazar

April 29, 2020

Obeying the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) guidelines, respect and maximum tolerance are  simple formulas to prevent unnecessary confrontation amid the strict implementation of the home quarantine in the country, according to Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander on Wednesday.

In a statement, Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar said   civilians must obey ECQ guidelines and respect  authorities enforcing the ECQ.

And for law enforcers, Eleazar told them to observe maximum tolerance and respect and adhere human rights of civilians.

Eleazar expressed confidence that once these precepts are observed properly, incidents such as what happened in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City would be prevented.

“It takes two to tango in cases of confrontation. So it is important that cooler heads should always prevail,” he said.

“The keyword is still respect. If we know how to respect one another,  we would not do provocative actions that could lead to confrontation or would learn how to deescalate a tension. Either way, it is a win-win solution,” he added.

Eleazar reminded civilians that policemen and other law enforcers are just doing their job in implementing safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and save as many Filipinos from COVID-19.

Eleazar stressed prevention of the spread of the coronavirus is the main and reason the ECQ was implemented with the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other law enforcement agencies tasked to enforce the rules.

“This is the reason law enforcers are also called frontliners because they also risk their own life and make their own sacrifices like being away from their family for a long period of time,” he said.

With reported fatalities from the police and military, Eleazar appealed to the public to not treat law enforces as “enemy”.

“Our enemy here is the coronavirus and the reason your policemen and other law enforcers are on the streets 24/7 is they want to defeat the virus to protect you,” he said.

If there are any cases of abuses, Eleazar said that law enforcers are always accountable for their actions.

“We are currently living in an extraordinary time under constant threat of COVID-19, a global pandemic. So we ask the public to bear with your PNP, your government because these strict rules are aimed at ensuring your safety, our safety,” he said.

On the part of law enforcers especially the police, Eleazar reminded them of the instruction of the chief PNP, General Archie Francisco Gamboa, through the PNP’s Human Rights Affairs Office (HRAO), about the human rights-based policing on strict enforcement of the ECQ.

“On the instruction of our Chief PNP, the PNP-HRAO has already issued a memorandum that includes human rights-based policing principles. This was already cascaded to our police commanders last week,” he said.

Among the instructions are to ensure that those who would be deployed would be briefed about human rights protection and that the activities of all policemen at the frontlines should be regularly monitored.

“We appeal to the public to start conditioning themselves under a new normal situation because this is what it will be even if the ECQ is lifted. This is not only about you, this is also about your family and our country. As our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has repeatedly said," he said.

"We will not return to normal situation until a cure or a vaccine is discovered On our part, we will remain steadfast in our mandate of protecting the public against all forms of harm and risks especially from the threat of coronavirus,” Eleazar said.  Ella Dionisio/DMS