By Minerva Newman
CEBU CITY – Some 2,000 uniformed personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and a 33-man medical team from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were deployed here as augmentation forces to help and assist in the implementation and enforcement of health and safety protocols under the enhance community quarantine (ECQ).
In a press briefing on Saturday, Joint Task Force COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) Shield Commander P/Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the presence of the police forces was to lend police visibility and augmentation of forces to the local PNP, and strictly enforced all protocols, guidelines of the ECQ in Cebu City.
According to Police Regional Office (PRO-7) Regional Director Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, the augmentation force was composed of police personnel from the various police provincial stations in Central Visayas, some members of the Special Action Force (SAF) and COVID-19 task forces in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor; Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and barangay officials.
Eleazar conducted inspections at different ECQ control points and checkpoints to check the implementation of protocols and get initial assessments of the COVID-19 situation, particularly in areas in Cebu City with high COVID-19 cases.
The team’s initial assessment according to Eleazar was to improve containment guidelines.
“Parang “ghost town” and Cebu City today (June 28), but it could be because of the ECQ compliance of people and the strict enforcement of check points by the joint task force on COVID-19 in the city,” he said.
“Containment of people’s movements are our first line of defense against COVID-19, this is the why the country is place on various status of quarantines to suppress the transmission of the virus. Everyone is a suspected virus carrier. It is important for people to stay at home, follow minimum ECQ protocols,” Eleazar added.
Meanwhile, a 33-man medical team from the AFP arrived Sunday, and was immediately deployed in Cebu City to augment the city's medical forces in addressing the COVID-19 situation here.
The AFP medical team, composed of military doctors, nurses and medical aides, arrived at the Mactan Airbase and was transported to headquarters at Camp Lapulapu.