ALL police units in Metro Manila and the rest of the country have been ordered by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar to fully ensure that minimum health standards will be followed inside shopping malls which have offered their areas as voter registration centers this month.

According to the top cop, he wants all chiefs of police and other police commanders to ensure that the voter registration process in shopping malls would not become super spreader events amid the threat of the COVID-19 and its other more deadly variants.

“All our police personnel have been tasked to secure these malls and to ensure that minimum public health safety standards and quarantine protocols are observed for the voter registration,” Eleazar said.

“Maaring dagsain ang mga satellite voters registration sa mga mall lalo na sa mga huling araw ng buwang ito kaya dapat paghandaan ito dahil nasa gitna pa din tayo pandemya kung saan ibayong pag-iingat pa din ang kinakailangan,” he added.

The Commission on Elections had worked with Robinsons Malls, Ayala Malls and SM Supermalls to accommodate more voter applicants for the 2022 national and local elections nationwide.

This as the deadline for voter registration is only until September 30.

Eleazar tasked chiefs of police to coordinate with the management of malls in their respective areas of responsibility, especially with their security staff, for the enforcement of health and safety standards specially the mandatory wearing of face masks and face shields and physical distancing.

The PNP chief also ordered his men to always observe maximum tolerance, and treat those inside the malls, including violators, with utmost respect. However, he also urged the public to cooperate and just follow the rules being implemented for everyone’s safety.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon