Some of the cops from PRO-7 who recovered from the coronavirus disease are released from the CREMDEC in Barangay Taptap, Cebu City on Monday morning, July 13, 2020. CDN Digital Photo | Alven Marie Timtim
CEBU CITY, Philippines –Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), got emotional when he delivered a message for the 64 policemen who recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and were set for release from the Cebu City Resource Management and Development Center (Cremdec) in Barangay Taptap here on Monday morning, July 13, 2020.
In a video message to the cops during their “graduation” ceremony, Ferro said he was happy that some of his men are now cleared from the virus and are fit to go back to work.
“Some sleepless nights I have experienced and it’s really hard to express such feelings,” an emotional Ferro said.
“With this recovery, I feel so happy that I will not be so stressed and depressed on how my people will be traversing this kind of journey in life because this is a very different war. A different battle ground,” he added.
With the 64 new recoveries, there are now a total of 137 policemen who recovered out of the 301 recorded positive cases in the police force in Central Visayas. Only 164 active cases are left.
At around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, the 64 personnel received their medical certificates, attesting that they are cleared from the virus and are fit to go back to work.
Read: 35 Cebu City cops recover from COVID-19
Following the usual protocol, all the recovered personnel will be given one week off before they could go back to work.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Allan Rosario, chief of operations of the Cebu City Police Office, was one of the 64 who were cleared. He shared what it was like during his recovery period at the Cremdec.
Watch his interview here:
Gear up
Meanwhile, Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), reminded his men to continue following the system used in the recovery, which is getting enough sleep, eating well and doing exercises.
He said that he will see to it that CCPO policemen who recovered will be able to follow the system even when they get back on duty.
“Gear up and we will get back to the battle field [against] our unseen enemy,” said Ligan. /bmjo