PRO-7 to look for ways to improve health checkpoints

Designated lanes being eyed as an option

Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro discusses with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia the measures taken in the health checkpoints set by the PNP in the different parts of the province. (Photo by Capitol PIO/Tonee Despojo)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Designating lanes for motorcycles, delivery and other transport vehicles are among the options being considered by the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas to expedite their health checkpoints here.

On Tuesday evening, March 17, PRO-7 Director, Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, visited some health checkpoints instituted by the local police units in the towns and cities in southern Cebu.

Ferro admitted that the police officers have limited thermal scanning units, which causes longer time before all passengers of a vehicle are scanned.

“A lot of the passengers are willing to be checked. Because of the limitations in the availability of the thermal scanners, we are asking the public to bare with us as we have caused minor traffic [congestion],” Ferro said.

In Talisay City, the local police implemented a mandatory temperature check when they started the checkpoint at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

But during the rush hour around 6 p.m., Patrolwoman Joan Opalla, one of the police officers assigned in the checkpoint, said they decided to just make the temperature check as voluntary because the volume of vehicles plying the south bound lanes of the Cebu South Coastal Road was already building up.

Ferro said that during their debriefing today, March 18, they will look into ways to improve the conduct of the check points and fast track the temperature checking in order to not stall the traffic.

Ferro said he is considering assigning the outer lane for motorcycles, the second lane for delivery vehicles of essential goods and the innermost lane for other transport vehicles in order to make the checkpoint more systemic.

“We’ll try to find ways on how to improve the checkpoint situation in order not to hamper the activity of the public,” Ferro said.

Ferro said that they are applying the “whole of government” approach in dealing with the checkpoints as they coordinate with the health and the local government units.

He added that they are also finding ways to acquire more thermal scanners that the police may use in their checkpoints. /bmjo