A police personnel checks the temperature of passengers going to Bukidnon at the quarantine area in Barangay Alae as the provincial government has put the entire province under community quarantine starting Tuesday (March 17). (Jigger J. Jerusalem/davaotoday.com)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Passengers and motorists bound to Bukidnon from Cagayan de Oro found themselves stuck for hours as provincial police set up their Covid-19 monitoring checkpoint early than it was advised.
The checkpoint was set up early 8 am on Tuesday along Sayre Highway in Barangay Alae, manned by personnel from the police, military, city health, and barangay officials.
Passengers and motorists were told to alight from their vehicles to have their temperature checked.
Buses were not allowed to proceed as part of the police’s safety measure.
The line was still long as of 3 pm.
Bukidnon Provincial Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Silvestre Asiong asked the riding public for understanding especially those who were left stranded at the checkpoint.
“We apologize for the inconvenience. We did it to contain the spread of the coronavirus,” he added.
Asiong explained that Police Provincial Director Col. Roel Lami-ing took the initiative to set up the border checkpoint earlier than the scheduled time that Bukidnon Governor Jose Zubiri ordered imposed on Tuesday 10:00 pm.
Asiong said there was no miscommunication. “It was [Lami-ing’s] initiative and guidance to implement the quarantine checkpoints even before Gov. Zubiri’s order takes effect,” he said.
Zubiri’s two-page executive order, however, did not mention the barring of buses from traveling in the province.
“At the designated quarantine control points, necessary screening shall be enforced for passengers of incoming public or private vehicles,” Zubiri’s order reads.
“Drivers, passengers, and travelers entering the Province of Bukidnon shall be required to present valid ID’s and to divulge their address, contact number, and travel history, and shall be checked for signs and symptoms for proper processing/endorsement in accordance with DOH protocols and guidelines,” it added.
Aside from the checkpoint in Alae, Asiong said that the province’s multi-agency task force has deployed personnel to quarantine centers in the province’s border areas such as in San Fernando, Talakag, Kibawe, Kalilingan, Aglayan, and Maramag. (davaotoday.com)
