THE 303rd Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia deployed personnel all over the province as part of the Inter-Agency Covid-19 border monitoring.
Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte in a statement said the Army's move is in line with the Covid-19 outbreak in the Philippines and Executive Order of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson implementing the closure of borders, ports and airports of Negros Occidental on March 15, 2020.
Pasaporte said "the Army will also render its support through the employment of its manpower to handle the border control. The safety of the personnel deployed in border control points/areas will be given priority by the Brigade to further its service to help contain the possible spread of Covid-19. Residents of Negros Occidental are encouraged to adhere to the stringent social distancing measures to help prevent the spread of the virus to other communities."
He also said the Army in Negros are committed to support the local government's effort to prevent the spread of the virus while our leaders and healthcare professionals work towards a solution.
"Our troops also have families left behind waiting for their safe return after their deployment but we assure the people that we will be performing our duties away from home especially in these trying times. We encourage every Negrense to do their share by obeying the guidelines and safety tips set forth by our government especially our Health authorities for the common good of everyone," Pasaporte added.
The Army and other members of the task force with the leadership of the PNP will provide support in performing the security protocols in checkpoint areas within the borders of the province to prevent the entry of persons not allowed under this executive order specifically along the highways located in the borders of Mabinay-Kabankalan, Bayawan-Hinoba-an, San Carlos-Vallehermoso, La Castellana-Canlaon and other roads that may be used as entry points, the army commander added.