34 NCR checkpoints to ensure unvaxxed people stay at home

A total of 34 border checkpoints have been set up in Metro Manila to monitor the public’s compliance with minimum health protocols and restrict the movement of unvaccinated persons, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Friday.

NCRPO spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jenny Tecson, in a radio interview, said these checkpoints are conducting visibility patrols and random checking on whether public transport vehicles are complying with the 70 percent capacity ruling and whether those going in and out of establishments and other commercial services are fully vaccinated individuals.

“Tayo po ay nagde-depende naman dun sa mga alituntunin din ng mga siyudad natin at yun ay ina-assist natin sila, tinutulugan po natin para ma-implement nang maayos dahil ang ating mandato ay matugunan or ma-prevent yung pagtaas o paglobo ng ating kaso dito sa Covid-19 at yung kanyang variant na Omicron (We also depend on the rule and ordinance of every cities and we are assisting them to implement properly because our mandate is to meet or prevent the increasing the Covid-19 case and the Omicron variant),” she said.

Tecson said they require travelers to present proof of vaccination and appropriate identification cards.

“The face on one’s ID should also be the same face that appears on the vaccination cards and we have other means, we also have a database that we can check. It’s more on coordination in such situations because in every city, they all want their people to be vaccinated and if they are really fully vaccinated they have a list in the database. Our call is that it is better not to use fake ones because there is a punishment),” she stressed.

Tecson added that the NCRPO checkpoints are being aided by other “allied forces” or government security troops deployed for this contingency.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also explained that the presence of police checkpoints requiring residents to show proof of vaccination status is being done in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to restrict the mobility of the unvaccinated, especially in public transportation

“The DILG and the PNP has begun implementing the measures directed by the President to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country especially in Alert Level 3 areas where there has been an exponential increase of cases due to the transmission of the Omicron variant,” DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.

He advised all motorists and commuters to bring proof of vaccination at all times if they want to be allowed entry at PNP checkpoints or when entering malls and other public places including taking public transportation.

Malaya said that the installation of checkpoints in border areas in Metro Manila and Bulacan is also in compliance with the ordinances passed by Local Government Units restricting the mobility of the unvaccinated.

Quezon City, for instance, has already passed Ordinance 3076 last January 4, which requires all unvaccinated individuals to remain in their homes, and be prohibited from restaurants, leisure places, social trips, malls, and similar places and public transportation, and provides penalties for violations.

Metro Manila mayors earlier passed a resolution stating that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals must remain in their homes except for essential trips under Alert Level 3 or higher. They will also be banned from indoor and al fresco dining, hotels, country clubs, and similar establishments.

Many business leaders, medical groups, and organizations have been pushing for the restrictions to be implemented nationwide amid the spike in infections and the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Source: Philippines News Agency

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