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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Thousands of cops deployed to man checkpoints in ECQ 'tiny bubbles'

Thousands of cops deployed to man checkpoints in ECQ 'tiny bubbles'

Published Aug 6, 2021 12:03 pm

As the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) officially took effect in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday, Aug. 6, the Philippine National Police (PNP) mobilized 1,203 police personnel to conduct law enforcement and public safety operations at checkpoints established in Metro Manila's so-called "tiny bubbles" and four nearby provinces.

Police conduct checkpoint operations ahead of the reimposition of the enhanced community quarantine on August 6, 2021. (Ali Vicoy/MANILA BULLETIN)

From a large bubble called "National Capital Region (NCR)-plus" which lumps together Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, the PNP is now treating the 16 cities and lone municipality of NCR as individual or tiny bubbles.

Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, PNP chief, personally inspected at least seven of 89 quarantine control points (QCPs) or checkpoints within Metro Manila to ensure that the protocols laid down by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) for the ECQ period were being followed.

From the jumpoff at PNP General Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City around 8:20 a.m., Eleazar visited the QCPs at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link Karuhatan Exit (boundary of Quezon City and Valenzuela City); Bagong Barrio EDSA (boundary of Caloocan and Quezon City); Rizal Avenue Extension corner 2nd Avenue (boundary of Caloocan City and Manila); and Road 10 (boundary of Navotas and Manila).

He also went to Paranaque Coastal CAVITEX (boundary of Paranaque City and Las Pinas City); Tunasan-San Pedro (boundary of Muntinlupa City and Laguna); and Susana Heights South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Northbound in Alabang, Muntinlupa.

In addition, a total of 4,346 PNP personnel were also deployed for the implementation of uniform curfew hours in Metro Manila from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

After the inspection, Eleazar said he was satisfied with the way the policemen in QCPs conducted their duties even as he appealed to motorists to endure the heavy traffic caused by the checkpoints.

These checkpoints are being conducted in regional, provincial, and city borders to ensure that only authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) are allowed to travel amid the two-week ECQ.

By putting up checkpoints, Eleazar said they were able to control the movement of unauthorized persons entering and leaving the NCR -- dubbed as the epicenter of the pandemic in the country -- to prevent a surge in infections.

"Nauunawaan namin ang sinasabing quarantine burnout na nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan subalit maling-mali ang pananaw na walang epekto ang mga paghihigpit na ito dahil ang mga public experts na mismo ang nag-rekomenda nito at kami mismo sa PNP ay napatunayan naming kung gaano ka-epektibo ito upang maiwasan ang pagkalat ng virus (We understand what they call quarantine burnout being felt by the people but it is wrong to say that these preventive measures have no good outcomes because the public experts are the ones who recommended them and we, in the PNP, have proven how effective they are to prevent the spread of the virus," Eleazar said.

In other areas outside the NCR-plus bubble, the PNP deployed 9,180 cops in 1,103 QCPs, according to the PNP chief.

"These security personnel are under strict instructions to ensure that public health protocols are observed and mass gatherings are disallowed," he said.

Aside from manning checkpoints, cops were also fielded in vaccination centers and quarantine facilities even as the government seeks to ramp up Metro residents' inoculation from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during the ECQ period.

A total of 7,337 police officers were deployed to 2,745 vaccination centers while 4,877 others were sent to 2,535 quarantine areas, according to data from Joint Task Force COVID-Shield.

"Despite the uphill battle against COVID-19 and surmounting challenges we are facing, the PNP remains resilient in assisting the government to quell the community transmission of the Delta variant," Eleazar said.

Related Tags

ECQ Checkpoints 8062021 NCR PNP Guillermo Eleazar
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