Police chief to Cebu City residents: Follow health protocols

Cop chief urges Cebu City residents to help gov't in fighting COVID-19

The police continue to man a checkpoint in Baragay Suba, Cebu City to discourage residents from leaving their homes on this Saturday morning, June 27, 2020. | Gerard Francisco #CDNDigital

CEBU CITY, Philippines — There is no other way around lifting the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status of the city and fighting the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) other than following the health protocols.

This is what Police Colonel Cydric Earl Tamayo, officer-in-charge of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), wanted the residents of Cebu City to understand.

Tamayo said this following the incident in Barangay Basak San Nicolas on Saturday, June 27, 2020, where some people crowded in front of the barangay chapel after a street dance was presented in celebration of the barangay’s fiesta.

The organizers and some participants were investigated, and they will be facing charges after learning that only a mobile procession was the agreed activity between the organizers of the dance and the barangay officials.

“Akong hangyo sa atong mga kumunidad nga magsunod mo kay we are being evaluated pagnakita nga murag atong compliance dili maayo basig magsige na lang tag ECQ ani hangtud July,” said Tamayo.

Read: Police to file case against Basak San Nicolas fiesta dance organizer

Incidents like the ones in Basak San Nicolas according to Tamayo is one of the factors why the city is still under ECQ and the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases continues.

“It is very painful na sa atoang part, sa ekonomiya, sa tao, everyone of us will suffer. Mas maayo siguro kung magsunod na lang ta kay wala may mawala sa atoa ani. Ang COVID man ang mawala kung magsunod ta sa health protocols,” said Tamayo.

(It is very painful on our part, on our economy, on the people, everyone of us will suffer. It will be good if everyone will just follow the protocols because nothing will be lost from us. The COVID-19 will be the one who will be gone if we follow the health protocols.)

Meanwhile, Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), in an earlier briefing with the reporters also expressed his dismay over the incident and said that he had directed the CCPO OIC and CIDG to hold accountable those people involved.

“I could only surmise that the President is true on his comment nga daghan gahi ang ulo diri sa Cebu ba… unfortunately the incident last evening was a frustrating one considering that twice na baya mi nag istorya sa mga barangay kapitan na we should cooperate so we could stop the spread of the disease by enforcing the ECQ [protocols],” said Ferro.

(I could only surmise that the President is true on his comment that there are many hard headed people here in Cebu… unfortunately the incident last evening was a frustrating one considering that we spoke twice to the barangay captain that we should cooperate so that we could stop the spread of the disease by enforcing the ECQ [protocols].)/dbs