By John Clifford Lintao
THE government’s arm for the strict implementation of public health safety protocols is grinding an axe against tricycle drivers who they claimed have been in wanton disregard of the guidelines designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Joint Task Force COVID Shield ordered all police commanders to meet with the transport leaders in their respective areas of responsibility for the strict enforcement of quarantine rules.
This came after the JTF COVID Shield received reports that some tricycle drivers, especially in the provinces, are not wearing face masks and do not observe proper physical distancing for their passengers while plying their routes.
JTF COVID Shield commander Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said the defiance or the complacency being shown by drivers of tricycles and other public utility vehicles (PUVs) is dangerous since it would contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
“This must be addressed immediately especially that the passengers or the drivers themselves could be virus carriers already. There should be no room for defiance and complacency because all of our sacrifices for almost five months now would be useless if we continue to allow them to violate the quarantine rules,” said Eleazar.
“If this calls for the arrest or cancellation of the driver’s license or the franchise, so be it. These hard-headed people must be taught a serious lesson for they cannot just disregard the minimum health safety standard protocol at the expense of the majority of our law-abiding citizens, at the expense of our frontliners especially our health workers who have already sacrificed so much in taking care of our infected kababayan,” he added.
A memorandum was already issued to the City Directors and Chiefs of Police, through the Regional Directors, for them to start the dialogue with TODA leaders in the soonest possible time.
Eleazar said the meeting with local TODA leaders is aimed at encouraging their full support in policing their own ranks and eventually ensure the safety of their members and the passengers from coronavirus infection.
He pointed out that the National Task Force on COVID-19 led by Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana made it clear to operators and drivers of PUVs that the minimum health safety standard protocol for both the drivers and passengers must be observed in exchange for allowing them to operate.
Part of the phase 2 of the National Action Plan on COVID-19 is for industries and groups like TODA to be involved and responsible in ensuring that the minimum health standard protocols are observed among its members.
Eleazar expressed belief that the TODA leaders would play a key role in the enforcement of healthy safety standard protocols since they have their own respective disciplinary measures for their erring members.
Recently, the NTF on COVID-19 also approved the recommendation for tricycle drivers and their passengers, as well as drivers, conductors and passengers of other PUVs, to wear face shields aside from face masks as another layer of defense from coronavirus infection. The NTF on COVID-19 also required the mandatory wearing of face shields in work places effective August 15.
Eleazar said that police commanders should also coordinate with the Local Government Units (LGUs), through their Tricycle Regulatory Units, to remind the tricycle drivers and operators of the conditions set by the government when they were allowed to go out to earn a living.
The JTF COVID Shield enforces the policies that are crafted by the NTF on COVID-19 and the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Based on the latest JTF COVID Shield data, a total of 320,102 quarantine violators were warned, fined and charged nationwide since March 17.