Mandaue police expect lesser quarantine violators

The Mandaue City Police Office expects lesser quarantine violators on their next simultaneous operations CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – The Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) believes the city’s quarantine violators will decrease during its next synchronized law enforcement operations.

Police Major Zosimo Jabas, chief of the Operations and Management Unit of MCPO, said that since a lot of violators were apprehended during their first synchronized law enforcement operations over the weekend, people might see the seriousness of the MCPO’s campaign to enforce the health protocols.

He added that Mandaue residents are abiding citizens but sometimes they need to be reminded of the minimum health standards.

The MCPO apprehended 29 quarantine violators over the weekend from Friday to Sunday for various reasons. Twelve were not wearing a face mask, 9 have violated the curfew, and 8 violated the city’s liquor ban.

Jabas said the 8 individuals that violated the liquor ban were caught drinking alcoholic drinks besides the barangay roads.

He said the violators were from the interior portions of the city’s barangays.

The synchronized operations of all police stations are on top of their personnel being deployed to the different places in the city to enforce the health protocols due to the city’s increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, Jabas said that the MCPO ks now focused on the implementation of the peace and order and health protocols against COVID-19 as travel authority was lifted as a requirement by the IATF to those who would travel to other LGUs.

The IATF on Saturday, February 27, issued Resolution No. 101 which stated that travellers are no longer required to secure a travel authority from the police’s Joint Task Force COVID Shield prior to their trip.

Jabas said from May last year until yesterday, they have already issued at least 42,000 travel authorities. He added before they have an average of more than 100 travel authorities.

He added that yesterday, they issued a travel authority after someone asked for it saying that the coast guard required it.

Jabas said a travel authority is proof that a traveller has undergone the required health protocols like a barangay certificate proving that he is not a Person Under Investigation (PUI) or Person Under Monitoring (PUM) and a medical clearance from the City Health Office (CHO). /rcg