CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – A team composed of personnel from the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources conducted a seaborne patrol at the Macajalar Bay on Thursday, April 23, as part of the government’s effort to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Lt. Nelson Baldamor, Chief of the 1001st Maritime Police station, said the operation was launched to ensure that fisherfolk have complied with the directives of the city government in its fight against COVID-19.
Mayor Oscar Moreno recently signed executive orders directing the city’s residents to wear a mask when in public spaces, to observe social distancing, and to present a barangay exit pass (BEP) whenever they go out of their residence to make a living, buy essential items or make important transactions at government and private offices.
The team warned the fishermen who have not complied with the executive orders.
In Barangay Macabalan, law enforcers reminded the fisherfolk that only one or two persons are allowed per boat, they must wear a face mask when fishing and have their BEP with them at all times.
Baldamor said that based on the city mayor’s directives, it is imperative for residents to follow these orders wherever they may be.
Petty Officer 2 Gelmore Laguador, of the PCG in Northern Mindanao, said their participation in the conduct of the patrol was to check if there are individuals who used the sea to travel from one place to another due to the presence of strict quarantine checkpoint on roads leading in and out of the city.
Just recently, Misamis Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano has signed an executive order requiring persons who want to enter the province to secure a health pass from the Provincial Health Office.
In a previous interview, lawyer Jeffrey Saclot, spokesperson of the province’s Task Force COVID-19, said the order was meant to strictly regulate the flow of people into Misamis Oriental amid the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Rolando Anduyan, PNP-10 Regional Director, said the police will stick with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force that allows authorized persons outside the residence to present their employment identification cards and not to require them to carry the provincial health pass. (davaotoday.com)
