AS IT welcomed the move of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to investigate the recent incident concerning some health protocol violators who were "paraded" on the street, the Silay City Police Station asserted that it had not violated any human rights.
Major Rollie Pondevilla, chief of Silay City Police Station, told SunStar Bacolod that they acted in good faith and that there was nothing wrong with what they did.
On Thursday, February 4, 2021, some 39 residents who allegedly violated "Silay City Covid-19 Counter Measure Ordinance" particularly not wearing face masks and not observing physical distancing were randomly apprehended by police personnel during their patrol operations.
A video of them being "paraded" while doing a "hands forward" position was making rounds on social media, gaining mixed reactions from netizens.
Pondevilla said it was necessary to ensure that proper social distancing among violators is observed. The residents walked for only 15 to 20 meters, from the police station going to the auditorium, he said.
"What we have done is not bad for the people. It's for their welfare given that we are still in the middle of the pandemic so health protocols have to be observed," the chief of police said.
The CHR, in a statement on Saturday, said it agrees that there is a need to continuously work together to curb the transmission of the coronavirus by faithfully adhering to health safety protocols set by experts.
Its spokesperson lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia said as they have repeatedly stressed, addressing the current pandemic must always be guided by human rights principles.
She said the present national health crisis is a human rights issue, not a mere law enforcement agenda.
De Guia said CHR's office in Western Visayas will be conducting a probe on the incident to also hear the side of Silay City Police Station.
"We continuously remind law enforcers to adhere to human rights-based policing, including respect for every person's dignity," she said, adding that parading alleged quarantine violators on the streets may amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment penalized by Republic Act No. 9745 or the "Anti-Torture Act" and barred by Convention Against Torture signed by the Philippines.
The CHR spokesperson said human rights must always rest at the core of law enforcement.
They urged law enforcement officers to also coordinate with public health experts on how to better explain and ensure compliance to health safety protocols amid the pandemic.
"At the same time, we look forward to the cooperation of the Silay City Police Station towards addressing this human rights concern," de Guia said.
For his part, Pondevilla said, "We see no problem if they want us to be investigated."
He reiterated that instead of imposing a P1,000 fine to the violators, they were subjected to a "seminar" for them to be reminded of the ordinance providing for the implementation of minimum health protocols.
"We even gave them facemasks before allowing them to go home right after the seminar," Pondevilla said, appealing to the public not to put malice on what had happened as "implementing the health protocols is for all of us."