The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said it was preparing to resume all frontline administrative functions and regulatory services such as processing of licenses, permits, and clearances to the public.
In a statement, PNP chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa said the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will be strictly observed when they reopen frontline administrative services of the Firearms and Explosives Office, Supervisory Office for Security and Investigative Agencies, Highway Patrol Group, and all city and municipal police stations for issuance of local police clearance.
These administrative services were temporarily suspended when most parts of the country were placed under enhanced community quarantine.
Gamboa added that the PNP is initiating consultative dialogues with leaders of religious groups to reach out and share information on health protocols, public distancing, and other regulations during religious activities.
“I am sending out instructions to all commanders in all levels to talk to the different religious groups and orient them on the restrictions of MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine), GCQ (general community quarantine) and MGCQ (modified general community quarantine) especially on mass gatherings,” Gamboa said.
Gamboa also assured the public that the PNP will help stranded people return to their homes since most parts of the country were placed under ECQ and GCQ.
"Rest assured the PNP will take this with an open mind. (If they have no quarantine pass) and they would just go to the police station to get clearance, we will facilitate, we will do that," he said.
Saying that those "who have less in life must have more in law," he urged police personnel to find the ideal balance in the implementation of quarantine rules with the humanitarian side of law enforcement.
The PNP will apply the same reasonable flexibility by eliminating restraints or restrictions to Locally Stranded Individuals who need to travel, Gamboa said.
“The intention is to facilitate the travel of all LSIs who want to return to the provinces. I assure you that PNP is here to provide safe and speedy assistance to our kababayans at all times.” Gamboa said.
He also ensured the availability of PNP resources, personnel, and facilities to assist local government units in facilitating the return to the provinces of some 24,000 repatriated OFWs as well as LSIs who were stranded in the National Capital Region during the ECQ.
An estimated 8,000 repatriated OFWs will be ferried daily to the provinces via government-arranged air, sea, and land modes of transportation beginning Monday until Wednesday.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday ordered police officers manning quarantine control points not to hamper the transport of the 24,000 Overseas Filipino Workers going back to their hometowns.
