Female police officers should be sent to “kids zones” if possible as they are “more accommodating and patient when it comes to dealing with children.”
MANILA, Philippines—Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Guillermo Eleazar on Friday ordered commanders to place female officers at designated “kids zones” after the government decided to allow kids five years old and over to go in the open space.
Eleazar said that female officers should be sent to these areas if possible as they are “more accommodating and patient when it comes to dealing with children.”
The PNP chief, meanwhile, urged parents not to be frightened by police at kids zones. He assured that PNP personnel are going to be there for the public’s safety.
“Tinitiyak namin na hindi magiging KJ (kill joy) ang inyong PNP dahil nauunawaan namin ang pinagdaanan ng mga bata at magulang sa mahigit na isang taong lockdown measures,” he said.
(We ensure that the PNP will not be KJ because we know what the children and their parents have gone through over the past year.)
Eleazar also instructed local chief executives to coordinate with police officers on identifying areas where children may stay.
The Metro Manila Council is to come up with a list of open spaces where children can play.
Metro Manila mayors recently gave the green light to open “child-friendly” places in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ.
READ: Metro Manila mayors OK more kid zones
The decision follows the announcement by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to allow children five years and older to go outside.
READ: Kids aged 5 and up now allowed outdoors in MGCQ, GCQ areas sans heightened restrictions
Outdoor areas include parks, playgrounds, beaches, biking and hiking trails, outdoor tourist sites, and attractions defined by the Department of Tourism.
Metro Manila is under a regular GCQ until July 31. The quarantine status allows citizens to leave their homes for non-essential reasons given that they follow safety protocols such as wearing face masks, shields and observing social distance. Faith Yuen Wei Ragasa, Inquirer trainee