‘It takes two to tango to ease civilian-lawmen tension during ECQ’

Chief of Joint Task Force COVID Shield Guillermo Eleazar. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The chief of Joint Task Force COVID Shield on Wednesday said the public and law enforcers must observe mutual respect during enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures to prevent heated arguments with authorities.

“It takes two to tango in cases of confrontation. So it is important that cooler heads should always prevail,” Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, who is also chief of Philippine National Police Deputy for Operations, said in a statement.

“The keyword is still respect. If we know how to respect one another, either we would not do provocative actions that could lead to confrontation or would learn how to deescalate a tension. Either way, it is a win-win solution,” he added.

Eleazar reminded civilians to obey ECQ rules and respect authorities enforcing the guidelines.

Policemen, likewise, should observe maximum tolerance and respect the human rights of civilians, Eleazar added.

The police official said if these rules would be followed, incidents of an altercation with law enforcers similar to an incident in a private subdivision in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City will be avoided.

Just last week, Police Senior Master Roland Von Madrona attempted to apprehend Spanish national Javier Parra who reportedly engaged in an altercation with the lawman after Madrona called out Parra’s house helper for watering plants without face mask outside of the Dasmariñas Village Subdivision in Makati City.