PNP chief orders deployment of more cops to Manila dolomite beach
MANILA, Philippines — Police leadership on Monday directed the Manila Police District to deploy more personnel to the city's dolomite beach which has been swarmed by large crowds since it reopened earlier this month.
This comes a day after an estimated 65,000 people trooped to the Manila Bay attraction, according to figures shared by the MPD at a public briefing. The number of visitors on Sunday prompted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to order the beach's temporary closure.
INTERAKSYON: Crowding at Manila dolomite beach draws calls to open more public spaces
General Guillermo Eleazar, the national police chief, said he directed Manila's top cop, Brigadier General Leo Francisco, to closely coordinate with the DENR, beach administrators, and the Manila city government to set a limit on the number of visitors and the length of their stay.
"I have instructed the MPD director to add police in the Dolomite area of Manila Bay to ensure that minimum public health safety protocols are followed," he said in Filipino. "My mandate includes liaising with the local government to have a proper system, especially in bringing in children that we saw in the video and photos that spread on social media."
"We understand the eagerness of some of our people to go out due to the long lockdown but this is not a reason to disregard the safety of everyone, especially the children they bring with them when it is clear in that they are not permitted outside under Alert Level 3 status," Eleazar said.
Prevent 'superspreader' events at Manila Bay
Malacañang on Monday reiterated its standing policy that minors are not allowed on the dolomite beach despite eased restrictions.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque also called on local police to ensure that social distancing and other pandemic protocols are followed.
"It's true that the dolomite [beach] is for the enjoyment of everyone but let's not make it a reason to have a superspreader event," Roque said partially in Filipino at his regular press briefing.
The DENR has recorded at least 25,000 visitors to the beach in the first week of its reopening following Metro Manila's shift to the less stringent Alert Level 3.
Metro Manila has few parks and public spaces. Shopping malls, where many go for leisure, have reopened subject to restrictions. — Bella Perez-Rubio with a report from Franco Luna
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