BAGUIO, PHILIPPINES – More than 300 violators of the 24-hour curfew during the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine were arrested by combined police operatives of the Baguio city Police Office (BCPO) manning the different established police checkpoints and conducting regular foot and mobile patrols in the different parts of the city. BCPO City Director Police Col. Allen Rae F. Co said that of the number of curfew violators, there were 295 who were counselled, advised and warned not to repeat such violation to avoid the imposition of stiffer penalties or fines against them for similar offenses in the future. He added that there were 3 curfew violators who were subjected to inquest proceedings with the city prosecutor’s office while there were no violators who were charged for such offense through regular filing with the courts. Further, there were 3 cases that were filed by the law enforcers against the arrested curfew violators while there were also 3 cases that were filed against the said individuals who were accused of alleged disobedience of an agent of a person in authority. The BCPO chief pointed out that based on the guidelines of the inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, the 24-hour curfew in Luzon is in effect, thus, people who have nothing important to do outside their houses should stay at home considering that those that are allowed to be out of their residences are those assigned person per household who had been issued home quarantine passes by their barangays. The police official called on the public to understand and cooperate with the law enforcers manning the different checkpoints around the city and those conducting the foot and mobile patrols because they will compel people who do not possess the pertinent documents to justify their being out of the streets to go home for safety reasons. According to him, the local police force is doing its best to understand the justifications being provided to them but those being asked to present pertinent documents that will justify their presence outside their residences but it is also important for them to respect the authorities imposing the 24-hour curfew in the city due to the prevalence of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine. He claimed that the filing of the cases against the curfew violators and those who were disobedient to the apprehending officers should serve as a warning to the public that the law enforcers mean business in the strict implementation of rules and regulations governing the enhanced community quarantine that was extended up to the end of the month. Co appealed to the public to continue their cooperation in the implementation of the rules and regulations governing the quarantine period because the same are geared towards ensuring their safety from being exposed to individuals that have the virus so that there will be no opportunity for the deadly virus to spread in the community that could create more serious problems for the government in the future. BCPO continues to maximize the presence of its personnel to man the increasing number of checkpoints and conduct foot and mobile patrols around the city aside from the assignment of police personnel in the different offices to perform their assigned administrative functions among other related work.Tags: Luzon, Baguio, iDOL, Baguio Curfew, Covid 19, BCPO.
