PNP heightens alert amid rise in attacks on quarantine points

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Gamboa ordered policemen on Monday to heighten security in quarantine control points (QCPS) across the country following a spate of attacks over the past days.

“I am alerting anew all Police Regional Offices to implement security measures against possible hostilities by threat groups and lawless elements,” he said during a virtual news briefing, noting the rise of attacks on QCPS in Mindanao and in the Visayas.

Gamboa said that a recent attack on a control point in Misamis Occidental killed four police personnel, while a roadside attack with the use of a homemade bomb killed a policeman and wounded several others in Maguindanao.

Meanwhile, the PNP chief also ordered policemen to step up their anti-crime drive and enforcement of local ordinances to stop the rise of common street crimes amid the pandemic.

The directive was issued upon the instruction of President Duterte.

Gamboa said policemen must strictly enforce local ordinances and arrest violators such as those drinking and smoking in public places, roaming the streets without shirts, using karaoke beyond the allowed time and minors violating curfew hours.

They should also take in people who violate the minimum health standard protocols such as wearing of face masks, social distancing and mass gatherings, while increasing police visibility through “optimized personnel deployment” in all places of convergence.

“We are still under community quarantine and as such, should strictly follow the health protocols to stop the spread of the virus,” Gamboa said.