BAGUIO City police caught red handed a cargo truck trying to sneak-in three persons into the city.
Police Colonel Allen Rae Co, city director of the Baguio City Police Office, said a random check in a quarantine control point at Marcos Highway yielded three persons who are residents of Irisan, Kias and San Luis, being sneaked in by a fruit and vegetable cargo truck.
Co said the truck came from Rosario, La Union and agreed to ferry the three persons into the city in an attempt to pass through police checkpoints unnoticed as well as bypassing medical protocols amid the pandemic.
The police official said reports have reached them as well as the City Hall on the unauthorized entry of people being “smuggled” in by food cargo trucks which pushed police to do a spot check on vehicles coming into the city on Saturday, April 18.
The driver and personnel of the cargo truck bearing plate no. WKL 965 as well as the three residents are now being investigated.
Co said investigation revealed there were no fees collected from the three residents in exchange for the ride back to the city.
Unconfirmed reports are circulating on illegal entry of persons in the city via cargo trucks ferrying essential items in exchange for transport fees ranging from P500 to 1,000 depending on origin of passengers.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong has now ordered the police to enforce necessary measures to address the issue he branded as “trickery which is putting the city in danger as these persons have been evading quarantine protocols.”
Co said two kinds of checkpoints are in place - quarantine control points (QCP) and dedicated control points (DCP).
Under QCP rules, police are not allowed to check cargo trucks lest they hamper movements of essential services while the DCP under the Highway Patrol Group are allowed to properly check.
However, upon orders of the mayor, Co coordinated with the Philippine National Police Regional Office and Highway Patrol Group for the deployment of an HPG member to the BCPO QCPs to enable them to conduct full inspections of cargo trucks.
Magalong warns all who will engage in the illegal activity will be dealt with accordingly.
The city effective March 28 closed its borders to non-essential travels and stranded residents from other provinces except Benguet to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The ban does not include deliveries of food, medicines and other essential items. (With PR)