Police deputy slams city hall handling of ECQ

By Cong B. Corrales
Editor-in-Chief

AN officer of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office has accused Mayor Oscar Moreno of being uncooperative with the task force’s implementation of focused containment in the presence of Delta variant in the city.

In an interview posted late last night by a social media platform-based news service, Northern Mindanao Daily Source of Lt. Col. Lemuel Gonda, the city’s deputy chief for police operations, cited a PNP-10 report, where he said the police reported on the actions they have conducted, their observations of the city government’s implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine protocols and “how far” city hall has implemented these.

“The city mayor is not cooperative. (Wala) nag issue og executive orders with regards to focus area containment,” Gonda said in the interview. This, he added, despite an advisory from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, dated July 23, on focus area containment on the presence of the Delta variant.

For his part, Moreno said during the 423rd City Hall daily presser today that he disapproved of granular lockdowns or focused containment as the city has already effectively isolated Covid positives and their close contacts.

“There is more effective than (a) granular lockdown, istrikto nga isolation,” he said.

Moreno pointed out past observations on focused containment last year were ineffective as the police cannot secure these communities 24 hours every week.

“Kinsa police makakaya ana. Naay mga panahon wala nay ga gwardiya. Difficulty pagsustain. Makalahutay ba mga kapulisan? Dili nila kaya,” he said.

In the interview, Gonda also claimed that the city government has no clear border control measures.

“Ang gabantay lang dira kay ang atong kapulisan ― ga check lang ‘ta sa kanang IDs. But when it comes to entry (here in) Cagayan de Oro, wala na ‘tay lain measures nga gikan sa local government sa Cagayan de Oro ― sama sa i-require ba nato ang RT-PCR or whatever guidelines,” he said in the interview.

Gonda pointed out that the border controls in the city last year were more effective concerning monitoring people entering the city.

“Unlike before nga naa ‘ta sa airport, seaport ug kining sa bus terminal nga aduna ‘tay measuring efforts arun atong masala ang mosulod sa dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro. Imbis MECQ, ECQ wala na nuon. Luag na hinuon ‘ta,” he said.

Gonda further issued a challenge to the City Health Office to identify areas in the city where there is a significant number of cases of Covid-19 infection.

“We will be submitting another report today (July 31),” Gonda said in the interview.

He said they will be submitting the report to its national office, as well as, to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases adding that they have already presented their report and recommendations to the regional formation of the task force.

Meanwhile, Moreno brushed off the issues pointed out by Gonda as a “demolition job” and hinted that the criticisms are politically motivated.

“Ambot unsay agenda ining Col. Gonda? Gusto man tingali ni mosulod sa politika. I don’t think this is part of his job as a police officer ― very unprofessional. Di ko ganahan motumpang. I don’t want to dignify his comments,” a visibly irked Moreno said.

He, however, challenged Gonda saying “He should resign, huboon iyang uniform (because) partisan politics has no room in professional police service. Ako na lang siyang gihangyo to resign and join politics so I can have the chance to campaign against you.”