PNP suspends processing authority to travel abroad for personnel

March 10, 2020

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has suspended the processing of foreign travel and authority to travel abroad for official functions in the light of latest development on the COVID-19 situation in the country, Police Major General Benigno Durana Jr said on Tuesday.

“All leave applications under process by the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management are put on hold,” said Durana, acting police spokesperson, in a statement.

Travel abroad for schooling and seminars are also temporarily suspended.

Durana said the PNP Health Service is monitoring the condition of three police personnel and one dependent under home quarantine, including two who has travel history to Japan.

“Three of whom have exhibited symptoms while one was asymptomatic. Two of the four persons under monitoring (PUMs) have travel history to Tokyo, Japan,” he said.

He added the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is also monitoring a San Juan City policeman for his possible contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient at a Muslim prayer room inside Greenhills Mall and two non-uniformed personnel who also visited Japan this month.

Durana said other NCRPO personnel, diagnosed with tonsillitis, is one of the three personnel being monitored by the PNP- HS.

However, the wife of the police lieutenant colonel, who was reportedly just came back from Japan last March 5, was not included in their list of PUMs.

In a phone interview with Police Major Duds Santos, PNP General Hospital spokesperson, he said the wife of the lieutenant colonel has yet to report to them for checkup.

“There is just some confusion because it was reported that there is a positive case of COVID-19 here in Camp Crame. But he (lieutenant colonel) was fine but still undergoing monitoring,” Santos said.

Santos clarified they have yet to release a consolidated data on the total number of PUMs in Camp Crame and other headquarters.

He also said there was no lockdown in the PNP General Hospital Tuesday. 

Earlier, NCRPO chief Police Major General Debold Sinas said they are monitoring four of their personnel and ordered them to go on self-quarantine.

In response to the Department of Health (DOH) contact tracing of a COVID-19 patient in Barangay West Crame, San Juan City, the PNP- Headquarters Support Service has temporarily closed Gate 4 of Camp Crame. Ella Dionisio/DMS