Camp Sotero Cabahug in Gorordo Avenue is the headquarters of the Cebu City Police Office. | CCPO photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City cops have been ordered to undergo mass swab testing starting Friday, January 21, 2022, as the city experiences another surge of COVID-19 infections.
However, Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that their daily functions, including the processing of police clearance, continue pending the results of the tests.
This mass swab testing was conducted after two police officers tested positive for COVID-19. Some police officers, Parilla said, also showed flu-based symptoms such as fever and colds the past few days.
Because of this, Parilla said that Police Colonel Ernesto Tagle, CCPO director, has instructed the 1,050-strong CCPO force to undergo swab tests.
Parilla said that the swab tests were made mandatory for all policemen under the CCPO umbrella.
“Mandatory kay himuon man sad nis uban nga magbalatuba nga naa lay sip-on di na musulod, so dili diay COVID. So dapat nga ipa swab nato para ang mo positive maoy atoang i isolate then i quarantine, authorized sila,” Parilla said.
(We will have this as mandatory because there are some who are just having colds and will no longer report for work even if they are not COVID positive. So they need to undergo a swab test so that those who tested positive will be isolated and quarantined.)
“Kay ang atoang pulis, they can only have their sick leave once naa silay sick call slip gikan sa atoang health unit,” he added.
(Our policemen can only have their sick leave once they have a sick call slip from the health unit.)
Even if they conduct the mass testing, Parilla said they will make necessary adjustments so as not to hamper their daily functions.
Parilla added that having a lockdown in their headquarters is not an option. Instead, they will only isolate those who tested positive. /rcg