MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) will not follow President Rodrigo Duterte’s “shoot them dead” order against leftist who will create chaos while the country fights the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The President might have “overemphasized” the implementation of the law in time of the outbreak, according to PNP chief General Archie Gamboa.
“Probably, the President just overemphasized on implementing the law in this time of crisis. Of course, we will not follow that order,” Gamboa said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel. “We see the strong message and I think all the PNP personnel understood it.”
In an address to the public on Wednesday evening, President Duterte ordered his troops to shoot and kill quarantine violators if the protests prove to be a threat to law enforcers’ lives.
Duterte’s statements came just hours after a group of Quezon City residents from Sitio San Roque protested along EDSA until they were arrested and dispersed by authorities for violating the enhanced community quarantine.
“Sana naman they should not resort to these things. We’re mandated to enforce the law. People should understand that patience should be there,” Gamboa said. “Patience should be a virtue. He (Duterte) even assured that nobody is going to get hungry.”
“The PNP does not condone abuse in implementing the law,” the PNP chief added. “It has been the policy of the PNP that we always exercise maximum tolerance and within the bounds of the law.”
Physical punishment must not be imposed on arrested curfew violators, according to the Joint Task Force Corona Virus Shield, tasked to implement government’s guidelines on the Luzon lockdown.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s statements did not sit well with the opposition senators with Risa Hontiveros and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan issuing condemnations on the Chief Executive’s threats.
“Ang mga tao ngayon ay gutom, may sakit at nawalan ng kabuhayan. Ang kailangan ng taumbayan ngayon ay pagkain, ayuda, at proteksyon sa mga frontliners, hindi dahas at pagbabanta,” Hontiveros said.
“Hindi pananakot ang sagot sa gutom. Hindi pananakot ang solusyon sa #COVID-19,” Pangilinan meanwhile wrote on Twitter. “Itigil na ang kalokohan. Solusyon sa gutom ang kailangan. Nasaan ang pondo at pagkain ng taumbayan?”
Leftist labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the Duterte administration should listen to the cries of the poor instead of turning a blind eye to their pleas and resorting to violence.
“Don’t threaten the hungry with brute police force. These threats will not fill empty stomachs. The President should give the people adequate food and jobs, not bullets,” KMU chairperson Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog said in a statement.
Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced community quarantine starting March 17 – by enforcing strict home lockdown with some exemptions, suspending classes, and temporarily shutting down mass transportation – in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease in the country./PN