PNP to probe beating of quarantine violator

MANILA, Philippines — The Philipine National Police (PNP) has ordered an investigation of a viral video showing a policeman hitting an alleged quarantine violator with a stick in Quiapo, Manila.

PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa has ordered the Manila Police District to probe Lt. Col. Reynaldo Magdaluyo, commmander of the Sta. Cruz police station, after he was caught on video beating a resident of the Golden Mosque compound with a stick while shouting expletives, according to Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, PNP deputy chief for operations.

“There are many hard-headed people and I can only imagine how Lt. Col. Magdaluyo must have felt. But the PNP leadership will not tolerate this action and it should not be done,” Eleazar said in Filipino in a radio interview.

He said Magdaluyo would be accorded due process during the investigation.

NCRPO: Beating may be ‘justified’

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, however, believes that Magdaluyo’s action could be justified, pending an investigation.

“(The incident) is but a partial scene in the whole scenario. There were lacking scenes that will justify what really happened,” Sinas said yesterday.

Magdaluyo earlier confirmed that he was the policeman in the viral video.

QC liquor ban

The Quezon City government announced on Thursday night the implementation of a liquor ban until the end of the quarantine period on April 14.

Mayor Joy Belmonte, in an executive order implementing the policy, said liquor products are not considered basic necessities and their consumption “may cause improper conduct detrimental to the objectives of the enhanced community quarantine.”

The city government banned the sale and distribution of liquor as well as its consumption in public places.

As of Thursday night, the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the city has reached 97, with 14 deaths and nine recoveries.

Fourteen barangays have been placed under extreme enhanced community quarantine.

‘Telemedicine’ in Taguig

In Taguig, the city government launched yesterday its “telemedicine” program, wherein residents could consult with community doctors online or through text messaging and ask for medicines to be delivered to their homes.

The city government will also hand out P4,000 worth of cash aid every month for the next two months to each of the 15,000 members of jeepney, tricycle and pedicab drivers’ association.

In Pasig, Mayor Vico Sotto said local public schools would give out P400 food coupons to each student. The  coupons may be used to buy food items in markets and stores.

San Juan quarantine facility

Mayor Francis Zamora said yesterday that the city government will begin using the San Juan City Science High School’s new building as a quarantine facility since the city is dealing with 69 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 109 persons under investigation (PUIs) and 239 persons under monitoring.

Zamora said the Department of Public Works and Highways, not the Department of Education, authorized the use of the recently constructed building as a quarantine facility. The DPWH has yet to turn the building over to the DepEd.

The building would be able to house 100 to 105 beds, mainly for PUIs, in 15 rooms as a quarantine facility that would be manned by medical practitioners who graduated from Xavier School San Juan and city hall employees with a medical background.- Neil Jayson Servallos, Janvic Mateo, Ghio Ong