The Philippine National Police (PNP) warned drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) to ensure their strict adherence to the minimum public health standards amid continuous reports of blatant violations of the rules, especially in passenger buses and jeepneys.
PNP Chief Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said police forces, particularly from the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), and those assigned to man and supervise border control points have already been instructed to issue traffic violation tickets to the operators and drivers of PUVs especially in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite.
In a memorandum issued to the Director of the HPG and the Regional Directors of the NRC Police Office (NCRPO), Police Regional Office 3, (PRO3), and Police Regional Office 4A (PRO4A), the Directorate for Operations headed by Police Maj. Gen. Alfredo Corpus ordered PNP personnel to issue temporary operators’ permits (TOPs), official violator’s receipts (OVRs), and traffic citation tickets (TCTs) to the violators.
“This pertains to the reports received by the Directorate (for Operations), which disclosed unabated incidents of overloading, violations of minimum public health standards, and violations of allowed passenger capacity as prescribed by the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] and DoTr’s [Department of Transportation] guidelines committed by public utility buses and jeepneys, particularly in NCR Plus areas,” the memorandum read.
“We will be very strict in the implementation of this as part of our efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Kaya pinapaalalahanan natin ang mga operator at driver ng mga pampublikong sasakyan na umayos kayo kung ayaw ninyong mahuli,” Eleazar said.
He added that those manning and supervising the quarantine control points (QCPs) in Metro Manila and four adjacent provinces will be provided with the TOPs, OVRs, and TCTs since part of their job is to check if the passing PUVs are complying with the rules on allowed passenger capacity and the minimum public health standards.
The PNP chief said these tickets will be issued when policemen accost any passenger not properly wearing a face mask and when PUVs are carrying passengers above the maximum allowed limit.
HPG personnel, on the other hand, will be conducting random checks in Metro Manila and four adjacent provinces and were tasked to do the same.
Part of the order, according to Eleazar, is for those manning the QCPs to inspect all passing buses and jeepneys and to ensure that the no-travel policy on non-APOR (authorized persons outside residence) is implemented.
“So we are appealing to the drivers to ensure that their passengers are complying with these rules, dahil kayo ang magdudusa kapag nahuli kayo. Kayo ang boss ng mga bus at jeepney na minamaneho ninyo, kaya obligasyon ninyo na tiyakin na sumusunod sa mga patakaran ang inyong mga pasahero,” Eleazar said. (PNP-PIO) – jlo
