The Puerto Princesa City Police Office (PPCPO) is asking for further public cooperation during the rest of the implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Police Colonel Marion Balonglong, city police director, told Palawan Daily News (PDN) on Friday that PPCPO aims only to serve the public through strictly implementing the community quarantine in a bid to help curb the threat of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Kung ako lang ang tatanungin mo para to make is short is kung wala ka namang gagawin sa labas is you just stay at home dahil ‘yong paggawa mo noon ay you will not [just be] saving the lives of others, but you will be saving your own life,” said Balonglong.
Police Colonel Balonglong stated PPCPO presently has more than 10 quarantine control points (QCP) or checkpoints all over the city.
Balonglong said they expect the public to not question their authority at the checkpoints as these are all established for the good and health safety of everyone.
He also said the citizens must be thankful that City PNP is there to strictly implement ECQ rules including the curfew hours.
“Ang Philippine National Police (PNP) hindi nila gawa-gawa ‘yan na mag-i-establish ng quarantine control points or control checkpoints para sa kapakanan namin. Ginagawa ng Philippine National Police ‘yan para sa kapakanan ng each and every citizen ng Puerto Princesa, para sa kaligtasan ng bawat isa sa atin ang ginagawang iyan,” he said.
“Dapat hindi nila ikukuwestyun ‘yong mga inestablish namin dahil kahit kami gusto namin to be with our loved-ones. Hindi [‘yong] kami mag-twenty-four-seven sa init ng panahon ngayon and they will question us. Dapat magpasalamat ang bawat citizen ng Puerto Princesa na ang Puerto Princesa City Police is nandoon nagche-checkpoint and then implementing ng curfew or quarantine control points for their benefit. Hindi para sa amin lang po ito. Kami is mas gusto pa namin na nasa loob lang ng opisina namin o kaya ay sa loob ng bahay namin sa init ng panahon ngayon,” he added.
Palawan Daily News during the interview also tried to get briefed on the complete content of PPCPO’s specific set of guidelines from which their personnel at the checkpoints base what merely constitutes that of an “important” business worthy enough for a citizen to be allowed to pass through, but Balonglong said the public needs only use their common sense.
While Balonglong said he could enumerate from a page of the guidelines, it would take him so much time to finish.
“Kung ikaw is wala ka namang importanteng gagawin use your common sense. Hindi ko na kailangan banggitin sa iyo ‘yong one page na ano iyan [because] we will be taking more than two hours kapag babanggitin ko sa iyo isa-isa. Ito na lang ang masasabi ko sa’yo, ‘Use your common sense’. Kung wala kang gagawin na importante sa labas, you do not go out, you save your life, you save the life of others. Iyon lang po,” he said.
“Iyan is dapat nga sana wala ‘yong mamamalengke wala ‘yong mga ano na ‘yan. Eh tao lang tayo kaya pinapayagan natin ‘yong ganiyan. Kung ako lang ang masususnod rito is I will just close the every street of Puerto Princesa, pero hindi puwedeng gawin ‘yon siyempre, at saka hindi pare-parehas kasi ang financial status ng every citizen ng Puerto Princesa kaya tayo is nagiging lenient na lang pero sana ang bawat citizen sana ng Puerto Princesa ay kung wala naman tayong gagawin bakit tayo lalabas pa. Mag-mukmok na lang tayo sa loob ng bahay dahil kawawa naman ‘yong maapektuhan natin,” he added.
Balonglong said there are only specific people, most especially the frontliners, who are duly authorized to be outside of their residences during ECQ.
Balonglong reiterated that their checkpoints allow frontliners and cargos to pass.
“From the very start naman ‘yon pa rin pare-parehas ‘yong authorized person outside of residence. Hindi po naiiba ‘yan. Ang dapat na pinapayagan lang diyan is ‘yong mga frontliners at saka ‘yong mga cargos, wala na pong ibang ano diyan. Wala naman pong iniiba diyan. Hanggang ngayong pare-pareho,” he said.
“Ang checkpoints natin ay more than ten na tayo [o] ‘yong quarantine control points natin. Pero ‘yan is alam naman natin kung ano ‘yong mga authorized persons outside residences. ‘Yong kagaya ng mga frontliners, ‘yong mga cargos. Tayo lang kasi is palagi nating binabali ‘yan,” he added.
Balonglong said that while it is impossible to completely close every street in the city during ECQ, the public must be responsible enough to observe the enhanced community quarantine.
He said the public must cooperate with the government and help fight against the threat of COVID-19 by staying at home.
“Pero iyan kapag palagi natin binabali tapos walang makain ‘yong tao isisi natin sa gobyerno, tapos kapag hindi tumigil [o] hindi masawata itong coronavirus isisi natin sa gobyerno, walang mangyayari diyan. Kaya dapat sana ang gawin natin is simulan natin sa sarili natin para ma-i-save natin ‘yong baka sarili nating buhay pa ‘yong ma-i-save natin kung wala man lang tayong gagawin sa labas,” said Balonglong.