In coordination with the Philippine National Police led by Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, the Joint Task Force COVID Shield instructed all police commanders to intensify police visibility in transportation hubs and other areas where commuters usually converge to avail of public transport.
Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, Commander of the JTF COVID Shield, said random checks in public utility vehicles like jeepneys and buses must also be done in order to ensure that all passengers are complying with the minimum health safety standard protocols such as wearing face masks and face shields and observing proper physical distancing based on the guidelines issued by the National Task Force on COVID-19 chaired by Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana.
“As the national government lifted some of the restrictions in public transportation as part of the measures to reopen our economy, we will make sure that the guidelines issued by the National Task Force on COVID-19 is strictly observed. The operators, drivers and even the passengers have the obligation to ensure that they are protected against those who would defy the rules,” Eleazar said.
“On the part of the JTF COVID Shield, we will make sure that those who do not observe the rules would be accosted and punished to send a strong message that we are serious in our mandate of protecting the Filipinos from the coronavirus infection,” he added.
Eleazar said the strict enforcement of rules on public transportation is in support of the order of PNP Chief, General Cascolan to strengthen the marshalling in public transport.
“Our policemen should be conducting regular patrol to ensure that the wearing of face masks and face shields and the observance of proper physical distancing in public transport like buses, jeepneys and even on tricycles are followed,” said PNP Chief, General Cascolan.
Eleazar also tasked the PNP Highway Patrol Group led by Police Brigadier General Eliseo Cruz to conduct random checking on public utility vehicles to ensure compliance on the minimum health safety standard protocols.
Eleazar earlier urged transport groups to help the JTF COVID Shield in policing their own ranks by making sure that the operators and drivers are observing the quarantine rules on public transport.
“All violators must be accosted and punished accordingly. We have been constantly reminding our kababayan about the quarantine rules for more than five months now, these self-protection measures should already be part of their daily routine and therefore, there should be no more excuses,” he said.
More than 365,000 quarantine violators have already been accosted for various violations of quarantine protocols across the country since March 17.