MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is ready to help enforce the government’s planned granular lockdowns in Metro Manila and the new COVID-19 quarantine alert systems, police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said Wednesday.
Eleazar said personnel of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has already been briefed on the new system which takes effect on Thursday, September 16.
READ: NCR under Alert Level 4 Sept. 16-30 for granular lockdown tests
“Handa na ang inyong PNP sa pagpapatupad ng mga bagong patakaran alinsunod sa guidelines na inilabas para sa enforcement ng granular lockdown at quarantine alert level system sa Metro Manila,” Eleazar said in a statement.
(Your PNP is prepared to implement the new regulations in accordance with guidelines released for the enforcement of the granular lockdowns and quarantine alert level system in Metro Manila.)
“We are continuously coordinating with the LGUs (local government units) in Metro Manila for proper enforcement of these rules—from the identification of areas that would be placed under lockdown up to the distribution of assistance to the affected residents,” he added.
Granular lockdowns, or lockdowns in a specific area or barangay, have been adopted for use in Metro Manila.
Granular lockdowns are believed to help restart economic activities as only select areas would be under lockdown allowing other businesses to reopen — as compared to previous measures that involved a region-wide implementation of lockdowns.
The national government decided recently to change its quarantine restriction system from having four lockdown levels (from the most stringent enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the modified ECQ (MECQ), the general community quarantine (GCQ), and the least strict modified GCQ (MGCQ) to a new system that classifies quarantine restrictions as either ECQ or a GCQ, with corresponding alert levels.
The new system has five alert levels with alert five being the highest alert indicating a high COVID-19 transmission rate and critical bed and intensive care unit utilization rates.
READ: What to expect during NCR pilot of granular lockdowns, new alert level system
READ: NCR to use common alert level during granular lockdown pilot testing – DILG
Aside from the new regulations on the granular lockdowns, Eleazar said the PNP is also working with local government units, especially with barangay officials, in implementing new curfew hours which will be effective from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
The PNP chief is asking again for the public’s cooperation, to ensure the success of the new lockdown measures.
“Sa pagpaptupad ng mga patakarang ito simula bukas, hinihiling naming ang pakikipag-tulungan ng ating mga kababayan upang maayos na maipatupad ang mga ito at kalaunan ay makamit ang mithiin ng mga alituntuning ito na makontrol at tuluyang matapos ang pandemyang ito,” Eleazar said.
(In implementing these regulations starting tomorrow, we are asking for the public’s help and cooperation to ensure that the regulations would be enforced properly, and soon attain the goal to control and end the pandemic.)
The country is looking to cut the number of COVID-19 cases, especially after the Department of Health recorded another 18,056 new infections on Monday, pushing the active case count to 177,670.
READ: PH logs 18,056 new COVID-19 cases