Police tapped to bolster enforcement of Metro Manila curfew

 (INQUIRER.NET PHOTO/DENNIS MALIWANAG)

MANILA, Philippines — Police officers will be deployed across Metro Manila to implement the two-week unified curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m starting March 15,  Metro Manila Council (MMC) chairman and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez announced Friday.

“Magkakaroon po tayo ng strict implementation ng ating curfew kaya kasama po natin ang ating pulis dito. Magkakaroon po ng border check,” Olivarez said in a televised briefing.

(We will have a strict implementation of the curfew hours, that’s why our police will also be enforcing this. There will be border checks.)

“Tayo po ay nakipag coordinate kami sa ating kapulisan, sa ating COP [chief of police] para po hindi lang po yung ating mga barangay tanod ang magma-man, meron tayong pulis to make it a point na itong curfew na ito ay ma-implement dito sa ating region, sa National Capital Region,” he added.

(We have coordinated with the police, our chiefs of police, so that the barangay officers will not be the only one to man the borders. We have the police to make it a point that the curfew hours are implemented in the National Capital Region.)

Olivarez also echoed Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro’s remark that penalties to be imposed on violators would depend on the respective city councils.

“Ang bawat isa pong siyudad ay meron pong ordinansa po yan. Meron pong penalty, meron pong fine yan at meron po siyang detention. Yan po’y based doon sa ordinansa na inaprubahan ng bawat LGU at yun po ang susundin po ng ating kapulisan at ng ating barangay,” Olivarez said.

(Each city has its own ordinance.There are penalties, fine or detention. That is based on the ordinance that each LGU will approve. This will be enforced by the police and barangay officers.)

Metro Manila mayors agreed to impose uniform curfew hours aside from aggressive COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, to curb rising coronavirus infections in the region.

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