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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider More than 74,000 cops, troops still on COVID frontlines

More than 74,000 cops, troops still on COVID frontlines

Published Aug 8, 2020 06:17 pm

More than 74,000 policemen, soldiers and other law enforcers are still on the frontlines despite the easing of community quarantine restrictions, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield said  Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (PNP / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO)

Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, commander of the JTF COVID Shield, said the current deployment is proof that the government is still focused on containing the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Eleazar said most of those in the frontlines are personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) with 63,418 while the rest of the remaining 10,968 are from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

The JTF COVID Shield is the enforcement arm of the National Task Force on COVID-19 and Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of the Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-MEID). Aside from the PNP, it is composed of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Eleazar said most of the policemen and soldiers are in the 3,217 Quarantine Control Points (QCPs) manning checkpoints and other activities relating to the containment of the movement of the people in order to effectively address the transmission of the coronavirus. Personnel of the PNP Highway Patrol Group are also manning 112 special lanes for cargo vehicles.

 Most of the Coast Guard personnel are patrolling the seas to prevent the unauthorized entry of people in various areas where community quarantine protocols are being observed by the Local Government Units (LGUs).

The BFP personnel are involved in disinfection activities and in responding to the needs of communities, according to Eleazar.

“Since March 17, we have been actively performing the duties and responsibilities assigned to us and keep on improving our strategies on the ground so that all our sacrifices will not go to waste. The mission is to contain the movement of the people in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and eventually save as many of our kababayan from infection,” said Eleazar.

Aside from manning checkpoints and enforcement of quarantine rules, Eleazar said that there are also personnel of the JTF COVID Shield who are tasked to the queries and complaints of the people from their hotlines.

Based on the data, Eleazar said they have  responded to 11,256 inquiries and complaints through phone calls from their hotlines as of Aug. 7 and 1,903 inquiries and complaints were also responded to through the JTF COVID Shield electronic mail address.

 “Most of the calls and messages we received are relating to inquiries and requests for assistance for the movement of the people and movement of goods. We are also receiving complaints relating to the enforcement of quarantine rules,” said Eleazar.

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