ILOILO City – Sixteen personnel of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) in Camp Delgado here tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, spokesperson of the PRO-6, these cases consisted of three Police Commissioned Officers (PCOs) and 13 Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCOs) from the Regional Operations Division (ROD).
On April 28, a PNCO submitted himself for a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test after losing his sense of taste, Malong said.
His direct supervisor also underwent swabbing. Both were tested positive for COVID-19.
Fourteen more policemen – their close contacts – also got infected.
The police personnel were immediately isolated. Mostly were asymptomatic.
“The PRO-6 is conducting contact tracing and disinfection,” Malong said.
The ROD has 29 personnel. The remaining 13 were temporarily held at their office.
Meanwhile, Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, PRO-6 director, also underwent swabbing yesterday after he came in close contact with an ROD official.
His staff and drivers were also swabbed and quarantined.
“All police personnel, media members must take extra care. Hindi natin ma-avoid na maka-contact tayo sa other people kasi we are frontliners at hindi maiwasan talaga… Pero ganun pa man patuloy ang serbisyo natin,” Miranda said.
For two weeks now, Miranda added, the PRO-6 personnel are on “50-50” duty status. Pregnant policewomen were also ordered to work from home to avoid contracting COVID-19.
Since last year, PRO-6 logged 106 total coronavirus infections./PN
