BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III / GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Fourteen police officers assigned at the Bacolod City Police Office and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office tested positive for Covid-19.
Of the 11 in Bacolod, two are organic members of the BCPO, seven are police trainees from the Police Regional Training School in Brgy. Mansilingan, and two others are personnel from the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas and field training officers.
Station 1 commander, P/Major Ramel Sarona, said the police officers are all assigned at the police station, and are now recuperating in the city’s quarantine facility while their close contacts underwent swab tests and the results are being awaited.
He said the seven trainees are assigned as beat patrollers and were not required to stay in police stations.
Sarona said that he was not exposed to any of them but they are strictly enforcing minimum health protocols in the police station to prevent the spread of the virus.
Last month, the Police Regional Office 6, headed by P/BGen Rolando Miranda, extended financial assistance of P6,000 each to seven BCPO officers, who were infected with Covid-19, city police spokesperson, P/Lt. Liberty Indiape, said.
She said that this initiative of the PNP organization was hailed by concerned personnel as it helped with the expenses incurred by them during their sickness.
57 ACTIVE CASES IN WV
Five more police personnel in Region 6 tested positive for Covid-19, bringing to 57 the total active cases in Western Visayas, as of April 17.
Of the new cases, three were from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and two from the Antique PPO, the PNP Health Service said.
The Antique PPO had 25 active cases, NOCPPO – 23, PRO 6 regional headquarters – 3, the National Support Units and Capiz PPO – 2, and the Iloilo PPO and Aklan PPO – 1 case each. The Guimaras PPO had zero active infection.
Of the 374 confirmed cases, 316 have already recovered, with two fatalities, the report added.
While NOCPPO had the most number of confirmed cases at 75, 52 of them have already recovered.
The Iloilo PPO had 69 confirmed cases, Bacolod City Police Office – 45, RHQ – 41, Iloilo City Police Office – 36, Capiz and Antique PPOs and NSU – 29 each, Regional Mobile Force Battalion – 13, Aklan PPO – 6, and the Guimaras Police Provincial Office – 2.*
