Rising COVID-19 cases among Cebu cops pose challenge for PNP

MANILA, Philippines — The increasing number of personnel of the Cebu City Police Office who have tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and those undergoing isolation poses a challenge in the enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine there, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said on Monday.

Cebu City was earlier placed again under ECQ from June 16 to June 30 due to the continued rise of new COVID-19 cases.

“Of course nakita natin dahil sa infection, ‘yun ang unang challenge, how you are going to manage with the limited human resources that you have and in addition with the advent and threat of COVID-19,” Gamboa said in a press conference at Camp Crame when asked about the challenges being faced by the police in enforcing quarantine protocols in the city.

(Of course we noticed that because of the cases of infection, the first challenge is how you are going to manage the limited human resources that you have and in addition with the advent and threat of COVID-19.)

He said an additional 100 police officers from Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas were deployed in the city to augment the number of police officers there.

“Kapag hindi mo kasi kaya i-test, the most you can do is to quarantine them for 14 days. So paano mo ngayon tatakpan ‘yung 14 days na nagpapahinga?” he added.

(If you cannot test them, the most you can do is to let them undergo quarantine for 14 days. So how will you cover for the 14 days they are resting?)

Cebu City Police Office has 1,040 personnel. A total of 28 have tested positive for the virus, including at least two who died, according to PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac.

Currently, 196 police officers in Cebu City are undergoing quarantine, including the acting city director himself Col. Cydric Earl Tamayo, after being exposed to personnel who later turned out to be positive of the virus.

Tamayo has been under quarantine since June 19, according to Banac.

In the entire PNP, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached 499 as of Sunday, with eight deaths and 288 recoveries. Another 661 probable and 875 suspected cases are also recorded within the police agency.

EDV