A TOTAL of 22,169 persons in Bacolod City were arrested by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) for violating health protocols from January 1 to June 13, 2021.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Lester Leada, head of Operations Management Unit of BCPO, said the violators were arrested in various barangays for not wearing face masks and face shields, violating the curfew hours and liquor ban, and not observing social distancing.

He said violators were arrested by personnel of Police Stations 1 to 10, along with the operatives of Mobile Patrol Unit, Bacolod City Mobile Force Company, and Traffic Enforcement Unit.

They were given citation tickets. Those who were Bacolod residents were fined P200 while non-residents were fined P300. Those who failed to pay penalties were endorsed to the barangay for community service.

“They were only given citation tickets and warned not to commit any more violations,” Leada said.

He said it is the directive of Colonel Manuel Placido, director of BCPO, to all the police stations to intensify their visibility patrol and to arrest health protocol violators.

“We need the cooperation of everybody here to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Always follow the health protocols to avoid penalties,” he added.

Leada said they also intensified their education campaign in various barangays to ensure the compliance of health protocols, such as wearing face masks and face shields and observing physical distancing.