COL. Josefino Ligan, officer-in-charge of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), will return to work Monday, July 6, 2020, after taking a sick leave of close to a month.

Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 director, said Ligan’s swab result came out negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Col. Cedric Earl Tamayo, who took charge while Ligan was away, has placed himself on isolation after several personnel in his office, including his driver, tested positive for Covid-19.

Ferro said 223 police personnel in Central Visayas tested positive for the disease with a total of 73 having already recovered.

On Monday, 18 CCPO personnel will be declared Covid-free after undergoing 28 days of isolation, he said.

On Wednesday, July 8, the team of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong will arrive in Cebu to train key personnel of the PRO 7 to improve their contact tracing system.

According to Ferro, they asked for the help of Magalong since the latter’s contract tracing system was instrumental in keeping the number of Covid-19 cases in Baguio City to a minimum.

Magalong used to head the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) when he was still active in the Philippine National Police, Ferro said.

“Cognitive interviewing technique is very effective. It’s a skill that has been developed by our law enforcers, especially in our unit at the CIDG wherein General Magalong was our director while I was chief of the major crime investigation unit. So we were able to develop skills in investigation,” Ferro said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

By improving contract tracing, they will be more effective in controlling the rate of infection, he said.

Meanwhile, the PRO 7 will investigate photos that have come out on social media of people engaging in cockfights and playing the illegal coin game “hantak” in Cebu City.

Ferro said they will file a case against persons they recognize or are able to identify for violating guidelines of the enhanced community quarantine that include social distancing and a stay-at-home order. (AYB, PJB)