ILOILO City – The director of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), Police Colonel Eric Dampal, and 40 of his men, are considered persons under monitoring (PUMs) for possible coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
Mayor Jerry Treñas himself made the disclosure yesterday. He said Dampal and the 40 police officers had direct contact with a policeman classified as a PUM for having a history of travel to Metro Manila in March.
This PUM policeman has been reclassified a PUI after showing symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, said Treñas, citing the assessment made by Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, the city government’s focal person for COVID-19.
The now PUI policeman was assigned to the ICPO Mobile Group. On the first week of March he went to Manila.
He observed home quarantine beginning March 31.
Reached for his reaction to his PUM status, Dampal did not discount the possibility of having interacted with the PUI policeman.
“From time to time I gather my men to give instructions,” he said.
Dampal assured the people of Iloilo City he and the 40 policemen would follow the guidance of Dr. Fortuna.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea, according to the World Health Organization.
These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
Dampal stressed it is business as usual at the ICPO; policemen will continue to maintain peace and order in the city and man quarantine control points.
Last week, the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) deployed 50 soldiers to this city to help the ICPO enforce the enhanced community quarantine against COVID-19.
According to 3ID spokesperson Captain Cenon Pancito III, the deployment was 3ID’s response to Mayor Treñas’ request for additional personnel to man quarantine control points.
Interestingly, data from the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) showed Western Visayas having only four PUM cops remaining and one PUI cop.
PRO-6 spokesperson Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong previously said during the first week of March, there were 110 PUM cops and after 14 days of home quarantine the number dropped to 57 PUMs./PN
