Elite police team to arrive in Cebu this weekend

An elite team of police officers will arrive in Cebu on Friday or Saturday to help augment the forces here to implement the lockdown. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The elite team of police officers tasked to help reinforce enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City is expected to arrive this weekend.

Police Colonel Cydric Earl Tamayo, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) acting director, confirmed to reporters that at least 150 members from the police’s Special Action Force (SAF) will be fielded in the city.

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In a teleconference with reporters on Thursday, June 25, Tamayo said the team was part of the augmentation forces sent by the higher-ups of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“We are expecting their arrival since we received official word about it. Either they will arrive on Friday or Saturday,” said Tamayo in Cebuano.

This is the second batch of troops the national government deployed for Cebu City which is currently under the strictest form of community quarantine.

It can be recalled that the PNP also ordered a total of 106 policemen from Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas regions to help local police here enforce quarantine protocols.

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

Tamayo admitted to reporters that CCPO lacked manpower in covering the entire city, and all of the checkpoints installed to ensure residents, aside from those given exemptions, will stay inside their houses.

“Our numbers here are not sufficient in completely enforcing a strict lockdown that’s why it was directed to send more troops to augment our forces here,” he added.

The national government has intervened in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response of Cebu City after officials expressed alarm on the continuing rise of cases here. /dbs