By Martin Sadongdong About 3,000 soldiers from the military's Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR) will augment the police deployment tasked to ensure the orderly implementation of the community quarantine in Metro Manila effective 12 midnight Sunday, March 15. Brigadier General Alex Luna, commander of JTF-NCR (PAF photo) Brigadier General Alex Luna, commander of JTF-NCR, called for the public's cooperation to ensure the smooth flow of checkpoints which will be setup in strategic areas in borders of Metro Manila and nearby provinces to restrict the movement of people, and possibly, prevent the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). "It's a way for us to really check how we could cooperate with each other para maging successful itong (to ensure the success of) community quarantine," he said. The military official said that motorists outside Metro Manila who will enter or exit the region have to anticipate heavy traffic caused by the strict protocols in checkpoints. He explained that every public and private vehicles will have to be checked and disinfected before they are allowed entry or exit. Individuals who will be allowed to enter or leave Metro Manila will have to undergo stringent screening measures including thermal scanning. "Bear with us, we are really doing everything at pinag-aaralan ng mga tao kung paano mapapaiksi 'yung daanan ng checkpoint (we are studying how we can shorten the checkpoints)," Luna said. Aside from checkpoints in major radial and circumferential roads, sea lanes and airports will also be guarded by the military. "'Yung internal ng Metro Manila will be purely NCRPO activity. The checkpoint boreders -- land, sea and air -- we will combine with the Coast Guard and Aviation Security Group of the PNP," he said. However, Luna admitted that it would be the first time for the military to enforce a measure like the community quarantine. "This is a really big task for us, bago lang po ito (this is new to us). Even sa military, I think we have not yet conducted any activity like this although we have simulation exercises, table top exercises we haven't really used it on the ground," Luna said. Earlier, Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa, PNP Chief, said around 40,000 cops will be fielded for the community quarantine. The community quarantine is set to last until April 14 unless the Inter Agency Task Force on Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) recommends to President Duterte that it will be xtended or terminated ahead of the schedule. The results of the community quarantine, on whether it has prevented the spread of the virus, will be subject for deliberation by the IATF "everyday," Luna said.