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48-hour hard lockdown in Tondo 1 District starts
Tondo 1 District in Manila was placed on 48-hour hard lockdown at 5 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, as ordered by local authorities.
The move was imposed by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and allow for disease surveillance, verification and rapid risk assessment.
The hard lockdown will end on Tuesday, May 5, at 5 a.m.
As of 11 a.m., Capulong and Velasquez Streets were devoid of people, and only vehicles of the barangay, police, and service vehicles of essential workers as well as delivery trucks could be seen, according to a report on 24 Oras News Alert by Vonne Aquino.
Delivery trucks were also seen on Road 10 on the way to and from the pier.
A total of 1,000 policemen from the Manila Police District (MPD) have been deployed to enforce the hard lockdown.
Tondo 1 District has been identified as the second area in Manila with the highest number of COVID-19 cases.
During hard lockdown, mass testing for COVID-19 will continue.
All residents will be strictly confined to their residences and prohibited from going outside of their homes, except for health workers, officers and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and government workers.
Also exempted are those working in pharmacies, drug stores and funeral home establishments; public utility companies such as energy companies, cable, internet and other telecommunication, water, sanitation companies and critical transport facilities, including port operation.
Moreover, exemption is extended to service workers providing daily essential services including delivery of essential good cargoes, food delivery services, banking and money transfer services; barangay chairpersons, secretaries, treasurers, kagawads and executive officers.
Meanwhile, merchants in the Divisoria area within the vicinity of Barangays number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 will be allowed to vend within the allowable time and place prescribed by the city.
All other commercial, industrial, retail, institutional and other activities not mentioned in the above exemptions in the said district shall be suspended within the specified period of shutdown, the order stated.
Before the lockdown, family food packs were given to residents in all the barangays of Tondo 1.
Moreno appealed to residents to follow the rules and stay home.
Manila Police District (MPD) chief Police Brigadier General Rolando Miranda said they will implement the same strategy in Tondo 1 as that imposed in Sampaloc when it was placed under hard lockdown recently.
"Halos parehas lang ang ginagawa nating strategy dito, magkaiba lang ang kultura at diversity ng tao na ima-manage namin ngayon," he said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.
"Magkaiba ang lugar ng Sampaloc at Tondo. Dito sa Tondo, mas marami tayong ia-allow na tao sa labas dahil nandito ang pier. It caters to the national economy. Hindi natin pwedeng i-hamper ang komersyo," he added.
Regarding possible violators of the hard lockdown, Miranda said the MPD will implement maximum tolerance but will use force if necessary.
"Mga pulis, dapat magpatupad ng maximum tolerance. But if necessary, they are authorized to use force. 'Wag daanin sa dahas ang makukulit. Kapag matigas ang ulo arestuhin, kapag marahas, paluin na lamang," he added.
B/Gen. Miranda: Mga pulis, dapat magpatupad ng maximum tolerance. But if necessary, they are authorize to use force. 'Wag daanin sa dahas ang makukulit. Kapag matigas ang ulo arestuhin, kapag marahas, paluin na lamang. https://t.co/Jl7zdrja0g
— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) May 2, 2020
The MPD chief said the 1,000-strong police force deployed to Tondo 1 have been issued sticks or yantok which they may use to warn residents to stay home.
Miranda however is confident Tondo 1 residents will stay home amid the hard lockdown.
"''Yung mga taga-Tondo naman, disiplinado na," he said. —KG, GMA News
