By John Kennete Bornilla
The declaration of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the Greater Manila Area has prompted authorities to post checkpoints along the borders of Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces.
With these in place, traffic build-up in checkpoint areas are inevitable. Queueing motorists wanting to cross borders have to endure minutes or even hours of waiting just to be checked by authorities.
According to Police Major Ernesto Fabre, Team Leader of the quarantine checkpoint at the Batasan-San Mateo border, every border checkpoint operates 24/7 to make sure that essential travelers and APORs are the only ones crossing borders. Minimum health standards are also being monitored for everyone’s safety.
With strict inspection protocols being imposed, vehicles are being funneled. Those identified as non-APORs or non-essential travelers are sent back to where they came from.
Meanwhile, at the Caloocan-San Jose del Monte, Bulacan border, the same strict enforcement of protocols is observed.
Most motorists interviewed by the PTV News are in favor of these strict measures, stating that these are for everyone’s safety. They also noted that with the cooperation of everyone, the COVID-19 transmission can be reduced especially now that daily cases reach more than 10,000.
