The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) started mobilizing its military vehicles on Tuesday night to fetch health workers and others who got stranded in checkpoints because of the enhanced community quarantine that saw the establishment of several checkpoints in Luzon mainland – at least 65 of them in Metro Manila – to limit the movement of people and slow down the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Mass transport systems such as trains, buses, jeepneys, tricycles, utility vehicle (UV) express, motorcycle taxis, and transport network vehicle services (TNVS) among others were suspended when the enhanced quarantine took effect Tuesday midnight, thus, dealing a big blow to those exempted from the strict home quarantine as well as to day-to-day wage earners.
Among those exempted from the quarantine are health workers, authorized government officials, those traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, persons transiting to airports, those providing basic services and public utilities, and essential skeletal workforce.
With this, General Felimon Santos Jr., AFP chief of staff, approved the deployment of two military buses and four trucks to fetch health workers and other stranded motorists from Santolan-EDSA in Quezon City to Balintawak, Quezon City and vice versa.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army dispatched 18 trucks to provide free rides to those exempted from the travel ban.
Here are the routes of the free rides provided by the Army:
– Guadalupe, Makati to SM North Edsa, Quezon City.
– SM North Edsa, Quezon City to Fairview, Quezon City.
– CAVITEx to Manila area.
– Mall of Asia, Pasay to Parañaque City.
–Ortigas Center to Sampaloc, Manila.
– Ortigas, Mandaluyong City to Taytay, Rizal.
– Araneta Center Cubao, Quezon City to SM Masinag, Antipolo.
“We will adjust as necessary to be able to ferry the most who need it,” said Colonel Ramon Zagala, Army spokesperson.
On Wednesday morning, the Army also started fetching medical professionals, health workers and hospital support service staff of the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City via military trucks deployed in Monumento, Caloocan City. (Martin Sadongdong)