DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines — Local authorities stepped up enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine here as they arrested more than 600 people who ventured out of their homes even after Mayor Sara Duterte ordered that residents’ movement should be confined within their village clusters.
Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, has warned violators that they would be arrested for disobedience and violation of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
“We want people to stop moving outside their area. This is what the doctors wanted,” she said. “Ideally, no one should be allowed to leave their homes, but we allow people to go out for food and medicine, and to go to the hospital.”
The mayor’s order to allow people to move only within a certain barangay cluster took effect on Monday. Duterte said food and medicine passes would be recognized only within the cluster where their holders were allowed to move.
Curfew, liquor ban
Since the implementation of the lockdown, 608 people have been arrested for violating the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew hours and 120 for defying the liquor ban, said Col. Kirby John Kraft, city police chief.
At least 69 others were taken into police custody for disobeying the government’s ban on all forms of mass gathering.
Kraft said 388 cases had been filed against quarantine violators. “All violators will be arrested. Those who were arrested were handcuffed because it was part of police operational procedures,” he said.
Food, medicine passes
Kraft said policemen cited 263 residents for failing to comply with the use of food and medicine passes.
According to local officials, the passes could only be used to go out to buy provisions and medicine but only on certain days, depending on the first digit of the document’s control number.
Passes starting with odd numbers can be used on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while those with even numbers can be used on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Passes would not be honored on Sundays, the day when the city government prohibits all people from going out.
Only employees from essential businesses engaged in health, food, financial, cargo, business process outsourcing, security and media are allowed to leave their houses to work on Sundays.
Davao City has 89 confirmed COVID-19 cases with at least 16 deaths—the highest outside Metro Manila.
—WITH REPORTS FROM EDWIN FERNANDEZ AND ORLANDO DINOY INQ