Task force says three-pronged scheme reduced quarantine violators

May 4, 2020

The Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield on Monday said their three-pronged approach in implementing the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) has  proven effective in reducing violators of the home quarantine to more than one half.

According to Police Lt. Genera; Guillermo Eleazar from 3,800 violators from March 17 to April 23, the number is now  an average of 1,574 from April 24 to May 3.

Eleazar said it was on April 24 when they started intensifying the operations against violators based on the orders of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, General Archie Francisco Gamboa.

He said the first of the three-pronged approach is intensified checkpoints in  the Quarantine Control Points (QCPs) where private vehicles and persons are being checked, and Dedicated Control Points (DCPs) where cargo vehicles are being checked.

The QCPs are manned by policemen and soldiers and other augmentation from local government units while the DCPs are manned and supervised by the PNP’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG).

“We consider QCPs and DCPs as our first layer of defense against the movement of virus carriers because these control points screen all the people moving from one place to another,” said Eleazar.

Hesaid the second approach was deploying more policemen and soldiers in the community, particularly in areas where violations of home quarantine and physical distancing are rampant such as public markets.

Last April 21, the JTF COVID Shield has started deploying Special Action Force (SAF) commandos and soldiers who  use armored personnel carriers and military trucks in patrolling communities with high number of violators.

Two days after the deployment of SAF and soldiers, Eleazar said they noticed a steep decline in the number of violators— from 3,036 violators on April 22 to 1,585 violators on April 23.

He said the third approach was sending  HPG personnel to conduct random mobile checkpoints in Metro Manila and other urban areas to apprehend private vehicles violating home quarantine and physical distancing.

“The objective of the mobile checkpoints is to run after private car owners who make non-essential travels even if they are not allowed to do so. It is also aimed at checking if physical distancing is being followed inside the vehicle, especially on the rule that there should only be one person inside a car” he added.

Eleazar said mobile checkpoints are reinforced by  motorcycle-riding policemen who would chase private vehicles avoiding the mobile checkpoints under Oplan Habol.

“Since we implemented these three approaches, we noticed a significant decline on the number of violators. In fact, the number of violators daily no longer breach the 2,000 mark in the past 10 days,” he said.

Eleazar said they will continue strictly implementing the ECQ guideline, especially things may normalize  again as most parts of the country are under General Community Quarantine.

“We remind the public to continue observing the rules on home quarantine, use of face masks and physical distancing because even if the ECQ is lifted, our lives will no longer be normal again,” said Eleazar. Ella Dionisio/DMS