“Hatid-sundo” is a common practice among working couples. This photo was taken on July 10, 2020 at a checkpoint on Ortigas Avenue Extension at the boundary between Pasig and Cainta in Rizal. (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday to review its new rule barring authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) from being taken to or fetched from their destinations during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period in Metro Manila.
The practice is commonly known in Filipino as “hatid-sundo.”
“IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) and PNP need to review this rule,” Pimentel said.
IATF and PNP need to review this rule. There are some doctors who render “duty” for four consecutive days and NEED TO BE DRIVEN TO AND FROM WORKPLACE. Why make life more difficult for our frontliners? https://t.co/C8JVG8LlVB
— Senator Koko Pimentel (@senkokopimentel) August 4, 2021
“There are some doctors who render ‘duty’ for four consecutive days and NEED TO BE DRIVEN TO AND FROM WORKPLACE. Why make life more difficult for our frontliners?” he added.
Lacson, a former PNP chief, likewise advised the police to “at least take a second look” at restricting the “hatid-sundo” practice for APORs.
Workforce APORs include medical workers and those working in essential establishments like restaurants, supermarkets, banks, and the like.
“Hopefully, there will be no sudden restrictions, to a point of being impractical if not illogical. Instead, they may want to exert a little extra effort to find a possible win-win solution,” Lacson said, partly in Filipino, in a statement.
“There might be a way to satisfy both health concerns and a little convenience for our APORs who need to work to feed their families, or render indispensable service to others, like health workers and other frontliners,” he added.
Earlier, the PNP chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, said fetching APORs to and from their workplaces would not be allowed during the two-week ECQ in Metro Manila from Aug. 6 to 20.
READ: ‘Hatid-sundo’ for APORs not allowed during ECQ — PNP
Eleazar argued that this kind of practice would be prone to “abuse” and might be used as an excuse for non-APORs to go out despite the stay-at-home order under ECQ.