VIOLATORS of the extended Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will face arrest and inquest proceedings until May 15 under the Task Force Covid–19 Shield of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Police Colonel Allen Rae Co, city director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), said police arrested 10 unauthorized persons outside residences (UPOR) for violation of Republic Act No. 11332.
The violators were apprehended along Harrison Road, Naguilian Road, Malcolm Square and New Lucban Extension, and were brought to Baguio City Police Office Station 7 and subjected to inquest proceedings.
A senior citizen and three Yemeni nationals were among those rounded up.
Co noted the decrease in the number of arrestees which said may be attributed to the beefed-up sanctions of outright arrest, handcuffing and inquest proceedings against the law offenders.
Prior to the declaration of the extended ECQ, Mayor Benjamin Magalong instructed the BCPO to strictly implement the 24-hour curfew with priority focused on the markets and hospitals considered as high risked areas.
"Only those categorized as APOR or Authorized Persons Outside Residence list will be allowed to conduct their duties. Basically we are on a 24 hour curfew and it says that everybody should stay at home except for those persons that are vital to keep our industries running like those who produces and manufactures our food, the delivery of food, the health workers, uniformed security services, local public officials, pharmacists and supermarkets workers. Now the Joint Task Force Covid-19 Shield constantly updates the names under APOR and if you are not included here, then you are advised to stay home," the city director stated.
From March 17 to April 1 there have been 295 violators apprehended.
"It was decided by the mayor and the BCPO that since times are hard as of the moment, we don't want to add to the burden of people which why they were all warned and sent home with a stern warning and the problem was when we had a 13 day lull, we observed that the people became complacent. The implementation of the ECQ at this time informs the public that violators will be handcuffed aside from the filing of legal cases against violators," Co added. (With a report from Baguio City Public Information Office)
