Eleazar likens Cebu to a ghost town; residents wary over SAF presence

Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield chief Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar on Saturday likened Cebu City to a ghost town as most locals were choosing to stay indoors.

"Parang ghost town 'yung Cebu City kanina. Eh, andoon na 'yung significant compliance and obedience ng ating mga kababayan," Eleazar said in Ian Cruz's report on "24 Oras Weekend."

However, a resident admitted that they were wary of leaving their homes due to the arrival of 100 Special Action Force police officers in the city.

"Takot sila sa SAF, kasi may dalang baril, eh," Vasco Caburnay said.

According to Eleazar, the SAF presence was not a "militarization" effort but for "police visibility."

"While it is true na sinasabi na mas kailangan natin dito ang mga health workers pero tayo ba na mag-iintay ba tayo na mauna ang health workers bago tayo pumunta? Eh, we can mobilize you at any given time," he said.

Cebu City has reported more than 4,700 COVID-19 cases with over 2,000 remaining active. Due to the increasing cases, servicemen from the Armed Forces of the Philippines were assisting in the medical response.

"As of last night... that will be 10 doctors, and the rest nurses, and our medical aid that will be deployed here to beef up the health workers here in, particularly here in Cebu City," Lieutenant General Robert Ancan of the AFP Command Center said. — Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News