Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, visited Barangay Basak San Nicolas early on Monday to personally check residents’ compliance with enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) protocols. | CDND File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Do not hesitate to coordinate with the police.
This was the appeal of Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), to officials of the 80 barangays in Cebu City to especially prevent a repeat of the fiesta celebration in Sitio Alumnos in Barangay Basak San Nicolas which placed several residents at risk of the COVID-19 infection.
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Ferro said barangay officials play a big role in the government’s campaign against the spread of the coronavirus disease.
“The past several days, the police, the inter-agency task force have been working hard. We are really working na ang mga tao ni na mag labas-labas (for people to no longer go out of their homes). The barangay officials have a very big role in lowering the number of COVID-19 cases here in the city,” said Ferro.
Ferro said that since barangay officials know their constituents and are familiar with their respective jurisdictions, they are in the best position to monitor activities that are happening in their areas.
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It is necessary for them to always coordinate with policemen who are deployed in their barangays to make sure that people stay at home and discourage all forms of gathering while ECQ remains in effect in Cebu City.
“When you ask me to give you police personnel inside your barangay areas, I have given you some police officers to hep you. So please do your share. Mag tinaabangay ta (Let us help each other),” said Ferro.
Ferro expressed hope that the Saturday night incident in Basak San Nicolas will no longer be repeated. At the same time, he is also warning other barangay captains in the city of their need to take command responsibility should a similar incident happen within their jurisdictions. / dcb