More forces coming to Cebu City to implement ‘total lockdown’—Cimatu

Cops from the Police Regional Office 8 prepare to board a ship going to Cebu City at the Ormoc City Seaport. | INQUIRER.net File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, the Interagency Task Force’s (IATF) overseer in Cebu, said that more forces will be coming to implement the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), which he says is essentially in a total lockdown.

In a short press conference on Thursday morning, June 25, 2020, Cimatu said that at least 160 personnel of the Special Action Forces (SAF) are on their way to augment the police force here.

Read: Duterte to send Cimatu to Cebu to monitor COVID-19 situation

The augmented forces will serve as additional law enforcement to ensure that the public will follow the ECQ guidelines on wearing masks, practicing social and physical distancing, and curfew.

“Yung mga local PNP lang kasi ang available, that’s why we asked for additional personnel. Di pa masyadong na oobserve ang ECQ, di pa maintindihana nga mga tao that the ECQ is really a total lockdown,” Cimatu said.

(The local police are the ones available, that’s why we asked for additional personnel. ECQ isn’t observed strictly here, and people don’t understand that ECQ is really a total lockdown.)

Read: Cimatu to visit Cebu City barangays to assess COVID-19 situation

“We have to do this to slow down the effects of the COVID here in Cebu City,” he added.

Cimatu said they are currently meeting with various agencies to fully implement the lockdown in Cebu City, similar to that of the National Capital Region (NCR), to reduce the cases of the highly infectious virus.

More forces with at least 200 personnel will also be coming in from other agencies like the Coast Guard as well. The IATF is already preparing for the logistics of this lockdown.

Mayor Edgardo Labella said the city is prepared for this intensified lockdown when the augmented forces come in. /bmjo