THE National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has relieved the five police escorts of San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora who have been accused of breaching Baguio City’s community quarantine protocol during the weekend.
Metro chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, in a press conference at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, said he has asked the five police non-commissioned police officers (PNCOs) to explain the allegations.
“We have relieved the PNCOs (police non-commissioned officers) today (Monday) because they reported only yesterday (Sunday) after arriving from Baguio. I asked them to explain,” Sinas said of the policemen.
On whether San Juan City police chief Col. Jaime Santos would also be relieved, Sinas said he is staying put, at least for now.
“As to the chief of police, he was not relieved. I will confer with the chief PNP as to the appropriate action because he was also asked to explain by the (regional) IAS (Internal Affairs Service),” said Sinas.
On Sunday, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong decried the June 5 violation of the city’s community quarantine protocol by the convoy of Zamora.
Magalong said Baguio City policemen tried to stop Zamora’s six-vehicle convoy as it
approached a quarantine checkpoint along Kennon Road for a route inspection. The driver of the lead convoy allegedly slowed down and told checkpoint personnel that he was part of a convoy, pointing to the vehicles tailing him. The vehicle and the rest of the vehicles then sped off.
Policemen followed the convoy to the Baguio Country Club (BCC) where the group was asked to present medical health clearances, as required under city regulations, “but since none was presented, (the group) was politely told to undergo triage examination.”
Magalong said Baguio City Health Service personnel were “dispatched to BCC to set up the triage facility, purposely to ensure that containment and isolation, if needed, were done.”
“From this narration of facts, it can be reasonably sensed that Baguio’s health and safety protocols have been violated and the regulatory mechanism of quarantine check and triage examination at the Naguillan facility was not followed,” said Magalong.
Magalong said Zamora later called him after the incident to apologize. He said Zamora told him that he was asleep at the time of the incident and his police escort leading the convoy “mindlessly took it on his own to ignore what has long been a standard border protection measure prescribed not only in his but our own city.”
In a statement, Zamora said the travel was meant to bring his wife, who has been diagnosed of stage 3 breast cancer, to Baguio. He said his wife was going to stay in their old house for a “very needed rest.”
Zamora apologized to Magalong and to the people of Baguio City for the incident. “There was never any intention not to follow Baguio’s health and security protocols,” Zamora said.
PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said he has ordered an investigation into the incident.
Gamboa said he has directed PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar to relay instructions to policemen about the need to “always observe the appropriate protocols.”
“We know that the burden of controlling the spread of the virus is upon the shoulders of the LGUs (local government units) and it is in their interest to protect their constituents,” said Gamboa. — With Christian Oineza
