PNP-8 deploys over 2,000 police frontliners in quarantine points

PALO, Leyte, April 21 (PIA) — Some 2,043 police frontliners in Eastern Visayas were deployed in various quarantine control points established in the borders of the region amid the COVID-19 crisis.              

Said figure includes the police personnel in the joint task force and the frontliners which are assigned in the 266 quarantine control points in the entire region.

Police Lt. Col. Ma Bella D. Rentuya, regional public information officer of the Police Regional Office 8 said, 79 quarantine control points are solely manned by the PNP while 187 are manned by the joint task force.

The task force has been established to support the deployed policemen during the community quarantine period.

Five dedicated quarantine control points are being led by the Highway Patrol Group being the ones authorized to inspect essential goods while other joint task forces are assigned to inspect APOR (Authorized Persons Outside Residence), Rentuaya said.

These dedicated control points are located in Allen in Northern Samar, Ormoc City and Tacloban City in Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Catbalogan City in Samar, she added.

Rentuaya said also that around 3,000 reserved force belonging to the Reactionary Standby Support Force and Quick Reaction Teams including Medical Reserved Force are ready for deployment if additional personnel are needed in the quarantine points in Region 8.

Community quarantine was enforced by the local government units in coordination with police and military personnel.

The police have been tapped in order to ensure the orderly implementation of the mandatory quarantine.

To date, at least 1,000 quarantine violators were reported in the region with violations in liquor ban, curfew, direct assault and disobedience.

Also, during the community quarantine period, land, air and sea travel to and from the different borders of the region are not allowed until the end of the month.

Rentuaya further said that as of this writing, PRO-8 remains zero as to the number of police personnel/frontliners affected by the dreaded virus.

“As a precautionary measure, Police Regional Office 8 has prepared two quarantine facilities for our police frontliners who would be needing isolation,” Rentuaya. (ldl/cba/PIA8)

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1039693