Think twice before posting pictures of your family gatherings on social media, these might be used by the police to “summon” you. The Philippine National Police said it would now search social media for possible violations of quarantine rules, including videos, photos, and posts showing mass gatherings, celebrations, and street parties.
Filipinos are “hardheaded” based on what he saw on social media, said Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, head of the police-military Joint Task Force COVID Shield. Troops will be assigned to “regularly monitor” various social media platforms, he said.
“The social media are full of photos and evidence of hardheaded people deliberately violating the quarantine protocols. These can be used as pieces of evidence to warn, to fine and to summon the people concerned in coordination with the barangay officials concerned,” Eleazar said in a statement.
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Among the violators they will look for are people who flout the liquor ban, the prohibition on mass gatherings, and those who do not observe physical distancing, Eleazar said. Police are appealing to the public to help them assist law enforcement “in running after the violations of quarantine protocols, even if those involved are policemen.”
But some netizens are not having it.
"Until the PNP finally punishes quarantine violator Debold Sinas, it will have no credibility to implement pandemic-related rules," posted Gideon Lasco on Twitter.
Until the PNP finally punishes quarantine violator Debold Sinas, it will have no credibility to implement pandemic-related rules.
— Gideon Lasco (@gideonlasco) September 6, 2020
It can be recalled that photos of Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, Metro Manila’s police chief, went viral because it allegedly shows him and 50 other guests partying and drinking while the nation was on lockdown and a liquor ban in effect. His office described it as a "mananita" or pre-dawn gathering.
Sinas has stayed on his post despite an ongoing investigation into his alleged violation of quarantine rules. He and 18 others have been charged for violating the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which requires the wearing of face mask and the observance of physical distancing to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
