(FILE) Police officers in patrol in Pasig City. Niño Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has started the deployment of police officers to watch quarantine hotels and other COVID-19 quarantine facilities in Metro Manila following the order of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We followed the directives of the president by deploying two PNP personnel on a 12-hour shift in these quarantine facilities and hotels that are being utilized as quarantine facilities by returning overseas Filipinos,” PNP chief General Dionardo Carlos said Thursday over ABS-CBN News Channel.
“So we have done that already, and we are just making sure that we have made coordination with government agencies,” he added.
Nearly 600 police officers will be deployed in pairs to the 297 quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, according to the Department of Interior and Local Government.
The deployment of police officers was made following two separate incidents involving two Filipinas from the United States who evaded being placed in quarantine after their arrival in the country.
One of the Filipinas who was initially tagged as “Poblacion girl,” and was later identified by authorities as Gwyneth Anne Chua is now facing complaints for violating health protocols along with eight others. Meanwhile, the other Filipina is under investigation by the PNP.