and VICTOR REYES
VICE President Leni Robredo on Sunday appealed to President Duterte not to resort to a “martial law-like” lockdown in his bid to stop the growing number of violators of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) guidelines.
Stressing there is no need for a police and military takeover, Robredo said: “Sana huwag naman. Huwag naman sana kasi hindi naman kailangan. (We hope it won’t happen. I’m hoping it won’t happened because there’s really no need for it).”
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año assured government critics that the martial law-type lockdown will be implemented in areas where rampant violations of the Luzon-wide ECQ have been reported.
“We are not going to implement that in the whole country but only on those severely affected areas, we may do that… martial law-style in those areas where there are rampant violations of the lockdown,” said Año.
The Joint Task Force Corona Virus Shield said a total of 130,177 persons in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were accosted from March 17 to April 18 for violation of the ECQ. Of the number, 94,272 were merely warned, 5,539 were fined and 30,366 were arrested.
Año said more soldiers and policemen, which will be comprise “social distancing teams,” will be deployed in specific areas. Their mission, he said, is “to make sure that people stay home and will not violate the ECQ or the quarantine.”
“We are going to make sure that converging places like private and public wet markets are actually sealed off, both entry and exit, urban poor communities where houses are really (congested), people in crowded areas and community areas. We are going to put a lot of soldiers and (policemen),” he said.
SURVIVAL
Robredo said the President should understand that many of the violators are forced to violate the ECQ because they need to survive.
She said that instead of resorting to military tactics, the government should step up its response, particularly in granting financial aid to the poor, since many are complaining that they are excluded from the official list of beneficiaries.
“Kailangan lang naaasikaso iyong pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan kasi ang iba, talagang nakikipagsapalaran. Nakikipagsapalaran kasi walang choice, walang kakainin (We just have to attend to the needs of our people because some are really struggling. They are risking it because they have no other choice, they have nothing to eat),” Robredo said.
MORE SOLDIERS
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has given instructions to Armed Forces chief Gen. Felimon Santos Jr to deploy more soldiers to crowded areas.
Lorenzana said the government is “worried about these too many people out in groups in supermarkets, streets, and other places. These sights do not inspire confidence that we will achieve our objective by end of this month.”
“I have directed the CSAFP (chief of staff of the AFP) to deploy more troops in MM (Metro Manila) and other places with high COVID incidence to augment the police to strictly implement social distancing and ECQ,” said Lorenzana.
AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said the military has prepared for stricter implementation of the ECQ even before President Duterte said he was considering a martial law-type lockdown.
Arevalo said Quezon, Pasay, Parañaque and Mandaluyong cities and Pateros town have sought the assistance of the military in the stricter implementation of the ECQ.
“The AFP took cognizance of the (President’s) order and already prepared for it even before the order to deploy is given. That, we suppose, makes the AFP unique and dependable as an institution because of initiative and foresight. We take orders and know which are specific tasks and which are implied,” said Arevalo.
Arevalo said the public should not be alarmed by the military operation, noting that it is a “natural reaction of the AFP to prepare and deploy when it becomes necessary.”
“What we should all be alarmed about instead is the fact that a lot of people are blatantly violating the law and disobeying the rules and health protocols which must be strictly enforced — otherwise people die. Law-abiding citizens and those who follow the rules should not worry. There is no reason to be alarmed,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Alex Luna, commander of the AFP’s Joint Task Force National Capital Region said there are currently 2,500 soldiers, on top of 20,000 policemen, currently deployed all over Metro Manila alone.
If ordered by higher authorities, Luna said the task force can deploy additional 2,000 soldiers to implement the ECQ.
‘REASONABLY STRICT’
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque reminded local government officials to enforce ECQ guidelines as “reasonably strict” as possible while ensuring that the implementation is within the rule of law, and “respectful of the human dignity and human rights” of a person.
Roque said that while Malacanang recognizes the efforts of some local government units on how they implement the social distancing and other preventive measures, he said they should ensure that all efforts are within the rule of law.
He said the government will not tolerate alleged violations and disregard of human rights.
“Under the current circumstances we are in, the LGUs enforce the law as reasonably strict as possible for the full protection of our people. While such protection measures spell the difference between life and death, they are implemented well within the rule of law, and are respectful of the human dignity and human rights of everyone,” he said.
“The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), which supervises both the LGUs and the Philippine National Police (PNP), is committed to uphold human rights at all times and will not tolerate any violation during this period of ECQ,” he added. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
