PNP: Police can’t arrest quarantine violators

Police are barred from arresting quarantine violators and cannot impose punishments like exercise, said Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana, spokesperson for the Philippine National Police.

Usana said the police would not tolerate the incident in General Trias—now under investigation—where a curfew violator died after being made to do exercises.

The PNP has caught more than 47,000 individuals violating quarantine rules since March 29 when the enhanced community quarantine was imposed in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces, but they were just let off with a warning or fined, Usana said.

The police are also prohibited from requiring violators to exercise, he said. Only the courts can determine what punishments should be imposed on violators, he said. —Leila B. Salaverria