Año orders PNP to conduct surprise inspections in quarantine hotels
By Chito Chavez
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday, Jan 3, to conduct random visits in quarantine hotels in the wake of reports that some hotels offer “absentee-quarantine” arrangements to Filipinos returning to the country.
The hotels with quarantine facilities are accredited by the Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine (DOH-BOQ) and Department of Tourism (DOT).
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año instructed PNP Chief Police Gen Dionardo Carlos to dispatch police units to the various quarantine hotels and conduct surprise inspections to determine if all the individuals subject to quarantine are in the said hotels.
“The DILG through the PNP will help the DOH-BOQ and the DOT in monitoring all individuals subject to quarantine. All those found absent from the facilities will be charged together with the hotel or facility management and staff in cahoots with these individuals,” Año said.
Año said that the PNP will get the names of the individuals that should be in the hotel quarantine facilities from the DOH-BOQ and will physically inspect the hotels to determine their presence.
The DILG chief also directed the PNP to assist the metro Manila local government units (LGUs) in enforcing the 30 percent indoor capacity and 50 percent outdoor capacity of the establishments under alert level 3.
“I have also directed the NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office) to do random inspections of all business establishments to make sure that the operational limitations are followed, and only the vaccinated can access restaurants, leisure establishments, malls, public transportation, and similar establishments,” he added.
He also noted that the DILG fully supports the resolution of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) that compels unvaccinated individuals to be indoors and “shall not be allowed access to restaurants and the like.’’
“Eighty percent of those in the intensive care unit (ICU) are unvaccinated. It's only proper and reasonable for the MMC to implement such a policy,” Año insisted.
He maintained that “vaccination, coupled with strict adherence to minimum public health standards (MPHS) will allow us to control the surge of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) delta and probably the omicron variants.’’
“To ensure that NCR residents and workers are protected from community infections, it is but proper that only vaccinated individuals will be allowed unrestricted mobility,” he pointed out. (Chito A. Chavez)