
As the country continues to witness dramatic increases in COVID-19 infections, President Rodrigo Duterte tells police to be strict in implementing quarantine protocols, and arrest violators to “give them a lesson for all time.”
“We’ll have to ask our police to be more strict. Hulihin talaga (Arrest the person). A little shame or put them on notice forever,” he said during his address to the nation aired on Tuesday morning.
“Sino ba naman ang gustong mahuli ka? But if you are brought to the police station and detained there, that will give you a lesson for all time,” Duterte added.
He also called upon local leaders to take more effort in punishing residents for disregarding simple health protocols such as wearing masks and observing physical distancing.
“Under ordinary times, a simple violation of not wearing masks seem to be trivial, social distancing, all of these things. But during times of health issues, you can [make arrests] because it can be a serious crime,” he said.
“The mayors have to do more. They have to do more,” the president added.
COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez complemented Duterte’s remarks by saying that people are more likely to follow quarantine protocols with police and military around in local communities.
But he clarified that no show of force to intimidate residents will be employed.
As of Monday, the Philippines has logged 68,898 COVID-19 cases.