Trying their luck to skirt the law while the city is under strict quarantine protocols, three people were caught hiding among fruits and vegetables in a cargo truck entering Baguio City.
Baguio City police director Police Col. Allen Rae Co said the three were found hiding under fruits and vegetables of the H& E Fruits & Vegetables Trading cargo truck after the vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint.
The office of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has been repeatedly receiving reports of trucks bringing in people inside the city.
Because of this, the city’s police office conducted the random check thus leading to discovery of the scheme and the arrest of the suspects who are now under investigation for violating quarantine protocols.
Co bared that there will be two types of checkpoints that the city will now implement —Quarantine Control Points (QCPs) and Dedicated Control Points (DCPs).
At the QCPs, city police officers are not permitted to inspect cargo trucks so as not to hamper their flow into the city but the DCPs to be managed by the Highway Patrol Group are permitted to conduct a full inspection.
Magalong warned that people caught undertaking such dishonest activities will have to face the consequences as they endanger the city’s residents.
Although Baguio shut its borders to non-essential travels, the ban excludes deliveries of food, medicines and other essential items during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
As of today, Baguio city has a total of 17 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 12 people have recovered and 1 has died. (Jojo Mangahis)