615 PNP personnel are persons under monitoring for COVID-19

March 25, 2020

Around 615 police personnel are persons under monitoring (PUM) and 45 more personnel listed as persons under investigation (PUI), according to the Philippine National Police(PNP) on Wednesday.

Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa, the PNP chief, said its health service is keeping tabs of 615 PUM personnel and 45 PUI, including a colonel and a patrolman for possible COVID-19 infection.

“DOH protocols are closely followed to handle these PUI and PUM cases,” Gamboa said. 

PNP General Hospital spokesperson Major Duds Santos said a member of the PNP Chaplain Service tested positive for COVID-19.

Santos said the patient was confined at a private hospital in Taguig City and his condition is improving.

"He was critical a few days ago. Now he does not have life support... he already went out of ICU (intensive care unit) yesterday," he said.

Santos said around seven personnel had direct contact with the patient and all undergone self-quarantine.

"We did the hundred percent contact tracing. All of them finished quarantine because it was recorded last March 8, they were quarantine for 14 days so it’s already finish last March 22,” Santos said.

Because of the increasing number of these cases, Gamboa said they are taking more stringent actions to prevent the spread of the virus among their police personnel,especially those assigned to frontline duties in quarantine control points.

“We are instituting strict measures to prevent its spread among our back end and front line personnel, such as provision of minimum Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all frontline personnel; continuous contact tracing and self-quarantine; stringent social distancing including maximum use of teleconferencing of key leaders,” according to Gamboa.

The PNP chief said a PNP-wide Biosafety Plan is  being observed in Camp Crame and all PNP camps upon recommendation of the PNP Health Service, including possible setting-up of decontamination procedure for personnel returning to stations from field duty.

Gamboa admitted there is always a probability any police officer  in Luzon may contract the virus while performing their duty.

Gamboa assured all police personnel that Camp Crame will always provide as much as it demands from the officers and rank-and-file.

“Be assured that I’m doing everything in my power to provide you with all necessary support and resources to ensure your health and safety as you do your job in the best way possible. I expect all leaders at all levels to do the same for all personnel under their command,” Gamboa said.

“To the men and women of the PNP at the frontlines, as your father, I couldn’t thank you more for your service and sacrifice. Your health and safety are always in my thoughts and prayers,” he added

Gamboa said in these difficult times, “the rest of the Filipino people expects no less than our level best. And with God and the people on our side, we will surely overcome”. Ella Dionisio/DMS