NCRPO: Arrest at all costs, not shoot to kill

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila police were ordered to arrest “at all costs” persons who conduct public gatherings, not to shoot them dead as earlier ordered by President Duterte, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said yesterday. 

“The President’s guidelines were specific. What we will do is to disperse and arrest instigators at all costs,” NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas said at a virtual media briefing yesterday.

Sinas assured the public that police have been ordered to exercise maximum tolerance when dealing with individuals who would gather in public for whatever reason.

Duterte earlier ordered police and military to shoot dead anyone who creates trouble during the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, after residents of an urban poor community in Sitio San Roque in Quezon City instigated a protest along EDSA over food distribution issues.

“If people start to gather, we will arrest them. We will not shoot them outright, the guidance is to arrest at all costs,” Sinas said, stressing that police are bound by law.

Penalty: Funeral vigil

Thirty quarantine violators arrested from March 30 to April 1 in Barangays Vito, Paraiso, Poblacion and Old Sagay, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, were among the first batch of violators who – as penalty – rendered a vigil before an empty coffin for several hours at the Sagay City gym.

At the start of the enhanced community v implementation, city police chief Maj. Antonio Benitez said they also paraded a funeral car with a coffin placed on top of the vehicle, with the message “stay at home, or stay in coffins.”

Negros Police have arrested more than 200 curfew violators for disobedience since the quarantine was implemented.

In Region 1, 16 individuals were arrested in separate towns and cities in three provinces for violating the quarantine before dawn yesterday.

Separate reports said four were arrested in Alaminos City and Laoac in Pangasinan; 10 in Sta. Maria and Candon City in Ilocos Sur; and two in Solsona, Ilocos Norte.

Closing borders

Since April 1, provincial borders in the Caraga region have been closed to outsiders, even those who are from the region who wanted re-entry in response to the pandemic.

This was contained in a resolution of the Regional Task Force for COVID-19, otherwise known as Resolution No. 7 Series of 2020, or the “One Caraga Shield.”

Under One Caraga Shield, those who forcibly enter the border checkpoint will undergo a strict 14-day quarantine at an area allocated nearby where no visitors, not even relatives or spouses, will be allowed to visit.

Agusan del Norte Gov. Dale Bokingo Corvera, chairman of Caraga Region COVID-19 Task Force, said the lifting of the shutdown of borders will depend on the announcement of the task force which is composed of different government line agencies. – With Ben Serrano, Gilbert Bayoran, Cesar Ramirez