The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) assured that they are prepared for any situation that may arise in case of prolonged community quarantine.
personnel of Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) are already on standby while tourist police personnel are deployed to enforce social distancing and avoid panic buying.
For now, Col. Kirby John Kraft, city police director, said they have not recorded any fighting or panic buying in any of the barangays. Nevertheless, the civil disturbance management and the tourist police teams are on standby.
“The tourist police are deployed on all big grocery stores to enforce social distancing and control or assist management to avoid panic buying, ” Kraft said.
“If there would be enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), enforcement would be easy for DCPO as there will be a suspension of mass transport, ” he said. “Movement of people will really be minimal, ” he added.
The DCPO will enforce the community quarantine like the implementation of social distancing and prohibition of mass gatherings, liquor ban, curfew, and others, based on the series of executive orders on COVID-19.
Normal police functions like high visibility, anti-illegal drug operations, and other forms of anti-criminality operations will continue to maintain peace and order.
“Rest assured DCPO is prepared for any situation, ” he further said.
In Toril security measures
In an interview Maj. Jason Baria, the commander of the Toril Police Station, said that they have set up three roadblocks and chokepoints, particularly in the wet market.
“This so that we can control the senior citizens, minors, and pregnant women who are prohibited from going out of their houses based on the EO 20 issued earlier, “Baria said.
He also said that there are no more people who are loitering at the Toril Public Market and Toriil proper by 7 p.m.
The city has imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m., as part of the community quarantine.
However, he said there are still individuals that are caught for curfew and liquor ban. For instance, from March 21, they already booked seven after they were caught drinking past the prohibited hours.
Since March 24, 24 people were caught violating the curfew but advised to just go home and 3 arrested for violation of curfew and resistance and disobedience (Revised Penal Code 151).
Mayor Sara Duterte mentioned Toril District as one of the problematic areas where people continue to defy the social distancing policy.
How is Social distancing being observed?
Baria said people are properly observing it at the wet market.
“Our problem is that the volume of marketgoers in the public market because we can’t control the people from buying food,” he said. “There are so many people from Sta Cruz (Davao del Sur), Tugbok, and Calinan who also buy here.”
The Toril police chief started to control the inflow of people by allowing them to enter the market by batches last Sunday. It resulted in a long queue, but that could not be avoided.
“Because we know that a lot of people are going to the market especially during weekends, ” he further said.
