Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 7) — Complaints have been filed against police officials following San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora’s breach of quarantine rules in Baguio City earlier this week.
Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong said Sunday complaints have been lodged with PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Police General Camilo “Picoy” Cascolan, San Juan City Police City Director Jimmy Santos, and Baguio PNP City Director Col. Allen Rae Co.
“It is clear that the San Juan City-based police officer who served as lead escort of his City Mayor’s convoy has committed a serious breach of standing quarantine protocols,” Magalong said in a statement.
“I am confident that appropriate steps are forthcoming for this breach of health quarantine protocols, even more so in ensuring that absolutely no one, with or without rank, be allowed to transgress safety measures put in place to keep everyone out of harm.”
Magalong reiterated that everyone must comply with Baguio City’s border control checkpoints upon entry, to ensure that no one is put to undue health risk while in the city.
“This policy is strongly iterated in view of the apparent violation of existing health protocols by a group of visiting officials led by San Juan, Metro Manila Mayor Francis Zamora – ignoring the border control checkpoint at Kennon Road, and proceeding to their place of destination (Baguio Country Club) without their having to undergo the mandatory triage health examination,” Magalong said on Sunday.
According to Magalong, PNP Baguio City director Allen Rae Co reported that Zamora arrived at the Kennon Road quarantine checkpoint at around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, on board a convoy of six vehicles, with uniformed personnel inside.
Based on the report, when Zamora’s group was flagged down for inspection, the driver of the lead vehicle slightly slowed down and told the checkpoint personnel that he was part of a convoy, pointing out the vehicles tailing his police car, then sped off with the mayor’s entourage in tow.
The checkpoint personnel informed the BCPO traffic operations center about the incident and followed Zamora’s convoy to the Baguio Country Club. Upon arrival, the group was asked for the required medical health clearance, but since none was presented, was politely told to undergo triage examination, the PNP Baguio City reported.
Since Zamora and his convoy were already at their destination, medical personnel from the City Health Service Office were dispatched to the Baguio Country Club to set up the triage facility, purposely to ensure that containment and isolation protocols are observed, it added.
“From this narration of facts, it can be reasonably sensed that Baguio’s health and safety protocols have been violated and the regulatory mechanism of quarantine check and triage examination at the Naguillan facility was not followed,” Magalong said. “Mayor Zamora took the effort to inform me about this incident and apologized for the serious lapse on the part of his police escorting officer.”
Based on Magalong’s statement, Zamora said he was asleep in his car at the time the PNP escort leading his convoy took it on his own to ignore Baguio City’s standard border protection.
When asked for comment, Zamora sought for understanding saying, “pasensya na, kasalukuyang undergoing medical treatment ang asawa ko.”
[Translation: Sorry, my wife is currently undergoing medical treatment.]
Netizens have started an online petition seeking to declare San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora as persona non grata in Baguio City for violating quarantine rules.
In a statement released Friday evening, Zamora expounded further, saying his wife is a stage 3 breast cancer patient and that the family decided to go to Baguio on Friday, following her doctor’s advice to take much needed rest, which combined with her medical treatment protocols would help her achieve full recovery.
“By ignoring protocols and initiatives of the City of Baguio, one of the cities in the country that serves as a model in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 thanks to the discipline and genuine concern of its citizens and the city’s current leadership, San Juan City Mayor Zamora, arrogantly and selfishly, spat in the face of every Baguio citizen who’s sacrificed so much to keep the city safer,” Karlo Marko Altomonte, who started the petition, said Sunday.
The petition has generated over 3,000 signatures as of this writing.
“I humbly and most respectfully apologize to Mayor Benjamin Magalong and the people of Baguio City for this incident,” Zamora said in a statement. “There was never any intention not to follow Baguio’s health and security protocols.”
Baguio has been strictly implementing quarantine protocols at its borders to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the city.
Stringer Lauren Anuma contributed to this report.
