(UPDATED) In more than nine months of community quarantine in the country, law enforcers have warned, given tickets to, and arrested about 598,000 persons, whom they call “pasaway,” for allegedly violating quarantine and health protocols meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Most of the violations involved noncompliance to minimum public health standards such as wearing face masks and shields outside places of residence, and breach of the ban on “unnecessary” mass gatherings.
However, as the number of so-called violators rose, so did reports about abusive and humiliating ways by which people were apprehended and punished.
Retired Army corporal Winston Ragos, who had post traumatic stress disorder or “war shock” from a stint in Marawi, made headlines in April when he was shot dead by a police officer for ignoring a checkpoint in Quezon City.
Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque then dismissed as “speculation” criticisms that the incident was a consequence of President Rodrigo Duterte’s earlier instructions to law enforcers to “shoot [violators] dead” if they resist arrest.
The government’s declared tough stance against violators, however, did not apply to all “pasaways.”
From Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Debold Sinas’ “mañanita” in May to Roque’s “tourism trips” in November, VERA Files Fact Check looked back on reported violations of public officials and high-profile personalities and how those cases were handled. While some face investigations, others seem to have gotten away unscathed.
Here’s a rundown of the incidents:
Pimentel’s breach of quarantine protocols for COVID-19 patients
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III was one of the first ranking public officials who drew flak for breaching quarantine protocols.
In the early months of the lockdown, not all suspected patients of COVID-19 were tested due to a limited supply of test kits. Some died before their results were released.
Mocha Uson’s mass gathering with quarantined Overseas Filipinos Workers
Margaux “Mocha” Uson, deputy administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), came under fire in April for violating the ban on mass gatherings in Batangas which, at the time, was under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). (See VERA FILES FACT SHEET: Understanding ‘community quarantine’ and ‘social distancing’ policies)
‘Mañanita’ birthday blowout of Sinas
In early May, Sinas, then director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), drew public outrage when photos of his “mañanita” — a traditional pre-dawn birthday serenade — circulated on social media at a time when the region was the “epicenter” of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
San Juan Mayor Francisco Zamora’s breach of Baguio City protocols
San Juan City Mayor Francisco Zamora found himself in hot water in June after his convoy of six vehicles “ignored” the border control quarantine checkpoints in Baguio City.
Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s mass gatherings in Batangas
After a series of typhoons struck most parts of Luzon in November, Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao was seen distributing relief goods and Christmas gifts in mass gatherings in Batangas.
Harry Roque’s swim with dolphins in Subic, ‘tourism trip’ in Cebu
Roque had been heavily criticized for violating quarantine protocols at least twice: during his side trip to Ocean Adventure park in Subic last July, and his tourism promotion trip in Cebu last November.
Roque also drew flak on social media when a video of him singing at a restaurant in Baguio City without a mask surfaced online on Nov. 13 — when the city was under modified general enhanced community quarantine. This came a week after DOH discouraged public videoke sessions to impede COVID-19 transmission.
‘The law is the law’
As early as the first month of implementation of the ECQ in April, Duterte ordered the police and military to “shoot … dead” unruly quarantine violators.
Nearly three weeks later on April 21, the PNP said there will be “no more warning” for ECQ violators. Instead, “arrest and inquest procedures will be applied” to those who will violate relevant laws.
More recently in October, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Martin Diño was quoted by several news reports calling on the police to “apprehend” beggars, get them off the streets, and escort them to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. He said they “might be the ones spreading the pandemic (sic)” since they are “exposed.” Diño said: “Batas ay batas (the law is the law).”
Several civil society and human rights groups have pointed out the “double standards” applied by the government in implementing COVID-19 restrictions.
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, in a statement after the Sinas mañanita went viral, said: “The PNP is unrelenting in its crackdown on ordinary people for purported violations of the law and quarantine rules, which its officials and personnel are themselves breaking.”
With the general’s promotion as police chief, local human rights group Karapatan said it was “not only a glaring double standard of justice and law enforcement in the country but how this fascist regime shamelessly coddles and rewards human rights violators.”
Human Rights Watch Philippines, in a statement in April, reacted to “increasing incidents” of law enforcers and government officials “mistreating” Filipinos during the lockdown:
“The lockdown and quarantine, and even the emergency powers bestowed on President Duterte, do not excuse the actions of officials to wantonly violate international human rights norms and the Philippine Constitution, which specifically protects citizens from unreasonable searches and arrests.”
Aside from Ragos’ case, VERA Files Fact Check noted other reported incidents of violations of health and safety protocols by ordinary citizens, whose punishments drew concern from netizens and human rights watchdogs.
Apprehension of Caloocan fish vendor for not bringing quarantine pass
In May, fish vendor Joseph “Dodong” Jimeda went missing for a week. It turned out that he was detained at Navotas Sports Complex, along with 500 others for various ECQ violations, according to a viral Facebook post uploaded on May 15 by photojournalist Vincent Go.
Jimeda was arrested for not bringing a quarantine pass when he went to the Navotas fish port, where he buys and sells fish, from his residence in nearby Caloocan City. His family did not know where he was because he did not have a cellphone, Go said in his post.
Jimeda was able to go home 12 days later after paying a bail bond of P3,500 and filing a guilty plea for the offense of simple disobedience.
Degrading treatment of quarantine violators
As punishment for breaking the 8 p.m. curfew in April, Barangay Chairman Christopher “Bombing” Punzalan of Pandacaqui in Mexico, Pampanga, forced three persons, who happened to be part of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community, to perform a “sexy dance” in front of a 15-year-old boy, also a curfew violator, while two of them were instructed to kiss each other.
Punzalan later apologized for the incident, which was broadcast in an April 5 Facebook (FB) post, now taken down, when the whole Luzon island was still under the ECQ.
In a statement on April 8, Commission on Human Rights Spokesperson Jacqueline De Guia called out Punzalan’s actions, saying he violated several laws and rights of children and LGBTQ individuals and child rights, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act included. De Guia said the regional office of the CHR was already investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, two minors in Naic, Cavite were reported to have been made to lie in a coffin for at least an hour by their barangay captain in late March for allegedly violating curfew rules. In Paranaque in April, quarantine violators were made to hold a fake wake and parade a coffin around their village to dissuade other residents from violating health protocols.
In another incident in Sta. Cruz, Laguna in March, a barangay captain locked up five individuals inside a dog cage for disobeying curfew hours and disrespecting village officials. Local chieftain Eric Ambrocio apologized for the incident in a Facebook post, but added that barangay officials were rounding up stray dogs when they encountered the “drunken” curfew breakers who refused to obey their orders to go home. Criminal charges, including violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and grave threat and coercion have been filed against Ambrocio, as reported by Philstar.com.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the latest press release of the Department of Interior and Local Government, issued Dec. 21, regarding the probe on Roque’s and Pacquiao’s “quarantine breach”.
Sources
Philippine National Police, Press Conference with CPNP PGen Debold M Sinas, Dec. 8, 2020
Department of Health, DOH Administrative Order No. 2020-0015, April 27, 2020
Killing of Winston Ragos
- Rappler.com, Who is Winston Ragos, the former military man killed by police?, April 23, 2020
- CNN Philippines, NBI files murder charges vs. cop who shot Army veteran at checkpoint, June 4, 2020
- Inquirer.net, Witnesses: Ex-soldier shot dead by QC cop unarmed, May 21, 2020
Ragos suffering from “war shock”
- Esquire, His Name Was Winston Ragos, And He Was An Army Veteran, April 23, 2020
- Inquirer.net, Army chief seeks probe of killing by cops of ex-soldier with war shock, April 23, 2020
- Rappler.com, Army orders probe into police killing of ex-soldier Winston Ragos, April 23, 2020
Presidential Communications Operations Office, Press Briefing of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, April 23, 2020
Presidential Communications Operations Office, Nation Address of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic, April 1, 2020
Government’s hard stance against quarantine violators
- Philippine News Agency, PNP vows tougher stance against ECQ violators, April 21, 2020
- Manila Standard, Government threatens mass arrests, April 18, 2020
- Inquirer.net, PNP threatens ‘massive arrest’ if quarantine violations persist, April 21, 2020
Department of Interior and Local Government, DILG receives PNP findings on probe of Roque, Pacquiao ‘quarantine breach’, Dec. 21, 2020
Sources for Uson’s mass gathering in Batangas
Sources for ‘mañanita’ birthday blowout of Sinas
Sources for Zamora’s breach of Baguio City protocols
Sources for Pacquiao’s mass gatherings in Batangas
Sources for Roque’s swim with dolphins in Subic, ‘tourism trip’ in Cebu
Sources for timeline
- Public Information Office – City of Baguio Facebook page, ADVISORY: On the Temporary Transportation Plan in Baguio City for the period of 1 June 2020 to 15 June 2020, May 31, 2020
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, IATF Resolution No. 50-A, June 29, 2020
- Office of the Presidential Spokesperson, From Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Oct. 30, 2020
Presidential Communications Operations Office, Nation Address of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic, April 1, 2020
Philippine National Police, NOW: Virtual Presser with PNP Chief, Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa, April 21, 2020
Dino wants beggars off the streets
- ABS-CBN News, ‘Hindi porke mahirap’: DILG pinahuhuli ang mga namamalimos sa kalye, Nov. 11, 2020
- Manila Standard, DILG wants beggars out of city streets, Oct. 11, 2020
- Manila Bulletin, Arresting beggars amid pandemic not an option — Mayor Isko, Oct. 13, 2020
- Interkasyon.com, Law is law? DILG urged to go after high-profile ECQ violators amid proposal to arrest beggars, Oct. 12, 2020
National Union of People’s Lawyers, Press Statement, May 13, 2020
Karapatan, Karapatan: Promoting Sinas underscores double standards of justice, rewarding of rights violators in PH, Sept. 18, 2020
Human Rights Watch, Official Statement, April 27, 2020
Other abused violators
- Rappler.com, LOOK: In Parañaque, curfew violators sit under the sun as punishment,
- Parañaque curfew violators tortured? | Philstar.com, Nov. 25, 2020
- Human Rights Watch, Philippines: Curfew Violators Abused, March 26, 2020
- Inquirer.net, Parañaque village chief accused of ‘torturing’ curfew violators, March 26, 2020
Jimeda apprehended in May
- Vincent Go personal Facebook account, (story of the search for Jimeda), May 15, 2020
- Bulatlat.com, Mang Dodong and other faces of injustice during lockdown, June 23, 2020
- OneNewsPh, A Tale Of Two ECQ Violators: Mang Dodong Out Of Detention; Duterte Defends Debold Sinas, May 21, 2020
- GMA News Online, Fish vendor reunited with family after being jailed for ECQ violation, May 21, 2020
LGBT violators forced to do lewd dance
- Rappler.com, Barangay captain makes LGBTQ+ quarantine violators do lewd acts as punishment, April 7, 2020
- Vice, Philippines Police Captain Forces LGBTQ+ People to Kiss and Perform a ‘Sexy Dance’ for Violating Coronavirus Curfew, April 28, 2020
- Interkasyon.com, Urgent probe sought into barangay captain’s ‘sexy dance’ punishment for curfew violators, April 8, 2020
- Commission on Human Rights, Pahayag ng CHR spokesperson sa mga paglabag ng curfew at quarantine sa Pandacaqui, Mexico, Pampanga, April 1, 2020
Cavite violators punished to hold a fake wake
- Richard Llorico, Makatarungan po ba…, March 26, 2020
- Manila Standard, violating, April 29, 2020
- Business Mirror, Children in in pain pandemic, May 19, 2020
Parañaque violators
- GMA News, 24 Oras: Mga lumalabag sa ECQ sa isang brgy sa Parañaque, pinaglamay at pinagbitbit ng kabaong, April 16, 2020
- Philstar.com, “Curfew and quarantine violators in Barangay San Isidro, Parañaque City were made to hold a fake wake and carry an empty coffin as a form of punishment late Sunday evening, April 20, 2020
- Inquirer.net, ECQ violators made to carry coffin around village in Parañaque City, April 19, 2020
Laguna violators put in dog cage
- Human Rights Watch, Curfew violators abused, March 26, 2020
- Rappler.com, Barangay captain cages curfew violators in Laguna, March 21, 2020
- Barangay Gatid Captain Eric Ambrocio, #PUBLICSERVANT, March 19, 2020
- Philstar.com, Barangay captain faces raps for locking curfew violators in dog cage, March 21, 2020
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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