30 apprehended in QC for COVID-19 protocol violations

The Quezon City Task Force Disiplina over the weekend detained over 30 individuals for violating COVID-19 safety protocols.

According to the task force Operation Chief Dick Pelembergo, the apprehended individuals had their personal information listed, and repeat offenders would be charged by the local government.

"Pino-profiling din natin para malinaw na mayroon ding datos na pinaghahawakan ang ating Quezon City sino sino 'yung mga pasaway na regular na na-apprehend," he said in an interview on GMA's "24 Oras Weekend."

(We are profiling to come up with data for Quezon City regarding the individuals who are regularly apprehended.)

Among those apprehended were street vendors who failed to wear face shields, the driver and passengers of an overloaded tricycle, and delivery riders who had congregated also without face shields.

For his part, newly installed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said that while police can apprehend, they are not to punish the individuals.

"Arrest them but don't hurt them, don't punish them. We cannot punish them as that is under the jurisdiction of the courts," he said in a mix of English and Filipino. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA News