Policeman sacrifices sleep, family time for a greater cause: Protect the public from COVID-19

Police Corporal Jan Reynald Oporto, an investigator at Carbon Police Station, is urging the public to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019. |CDND Photo / Alven Marie A. Timtim

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Sleep. That would be one of the first things that Police Corporal Jan Reynald Oporto, an investigator of Carbon Police Station, would do as soon as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic comes to an end.

His other plans include spending more time with his wife, Lav, and visiting family members.

Since the implementation of government measures to fight the spread of the disease, including the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City on March 28, Oporto like many other policemen, has been on call 24/7.

Because of the demands of his work, he is lucky to get two to three hours of sleep per day.  Most of his time is spent on the streets of Cebu City making sure that people would stay at home, said Oporto, 30.

Change in Routine

After having been tied up with work for almost a week now, Oporto, like many other frontliners, said he looks forward to getting his normal life back.

He especially misses spending time with his wife.

The couple got married in July 2019.

Oporto, a native of Barangay Talamban in Cebu City, said he moved to his wife’s place in Barangay Babag in Lapu-Lapu City after they wed.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he would immediately go home after his shift ends at 6 p.m. of each day to spend time with his wife.

Since the ECQ implementation on March 28, he would now go home at 4 a.m. to change and rest and is expected back at work by 8 a.m.

He has also stopped kissing and hugging his wife because of fear that he may be infected with the dreaded disease and that he would share his infection with her.

“These gestures (hugging and kissing his wife) may be small and irrelevant for others but it is how we show our love for our family. But for their safety we have to change that (for now),” said Oporto.

Oporto said that he has also reduced contact with other members of their family and his friends.

Precaution

At work, Oporto said he would always have a bottle of alcohol nearby and his facemask on all the times.

When he comes home from work, Oporto said that he never enters the house while he still has his uniform on.  He has to take this off and soak this in a basin with detergent soap as a precautionary measure.

Using their kitchen door, he would then head for the nearest comfort room to take a bath.

It is only after his bath that he would start to engage with his wife.

Oporto said he would spend his time at home, to do personal errands, sleep and talk to his wife.   When he wakes up, he would again prepare for work.

Aside from working as a case investigator of the Carbon Police Sation, Oporto would also join patrols especially in the vicinity of Barangay Ermita and neighboring barangays that are under the jurisdiction of the Carbon Police Station to make sure that people do not loiter the streets while the ECQ is in effect.

They also had to monitor activities in businesses and other establishments that are located within their area of responsibility.

He said that with the COVID-19 pandemic, it would not come as a surprise that theft and robbery cases would shoot up.  Most of the commercial establishments are now empty after these businesses were directed to cease operation while other companies have also opted a work from home schemes for their employees.

Although tired at times, Oporto said, he is always happy and honored to render public service to his fellow Cebunaos.

Plea to the public

But Oporto is asking the public to also do their share and heed the government’s advice to stay at home.

He said that it is disheartening that some people would still opt to be on the streets even if they do not have government-issued quarantine passes.

Although they do not enforce arrests, Oporto said they would always send these individuals back home.

“We simply ask them to stay at home to be safe, so us, the frontliners could also go back to our families safe,” said Oporto.

Oporto said that his job now, more than ever, requires a lot of patience.  He is also well aware that he cant be low spirited or angry because he also understands that some people had to go out of their homes to also find means to feed their respective families.

All that he could do is to remind them of the ECQ protocols and send them back home.

He may already sound like a broken record for reiterating the ECQ protocols, but Oporto said it is always better to be safe than sorry.

“Magtinabangay lang gyud ta aron masugpo ni nga problema,” he added.

(Let us all join hands in the fight against COVID-19. )  / dcb