The Philippine National Police (PNP) will be deploying its personnel in various hotel quarantine facilities in Metro Manila amid reports that some of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have been escaping to skip the mandatory quarantine period and to go back to their homes.
Lt. Gen. Israel Dickson, PNP deputy chief for operations and concurrent commander of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, said it was the Philippine Coast Guard which sought for augmentation forces to fully secure hotels in Metro Manila which serve as quarantine facility for returning OFWs.
Based on the guideline, returning OFWs must be transported to hotel quarantine facilities and wait for five to seven days before they are subjected to swab test. Once the test for Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is out and they tested negative, that is the time that they would be allowed to go home.
"The PCG requested for additional augmentation because they are having difficulty securing and supervising various hotels where the returning OFWs are housed. Based on their report, there are also violations of minimum public safety health safety. Some of them are even escaping," said Dickson.
"So we really need more personnel there to guard them," he added.
Dickson said chiefs of police and other police commanders were already instructed to help secure hotel quarantine facilities in their respective areas of responsibility," said Dickson.