Non-essential workers barred at QC-Rizal border

BY JOSEPH PEDRAJAS

Motorists and commuters crammed at the border of Quezon City and Rizal province on Batasan Road Monday as police manning checkpoints barred non-essential workers to cross borders amid the general community quarantine bubble or “GCQ bubble” imposed on greater Metro Manila.

Brig. Gen. Danilo Macerin, chief of Quezon City Police District, said Metro Manila residents going to Rizal who are not tagged as authorized persons outside or residence or non-APORs are not allowed to enter the province and vice versa.

“Ang ginagawa natin ay pinababalik natin sa kanilang mga pinanggagalingan sa San Mateo or sa lalawigan ng Rizal, dahil ang Quezon City, hindi na pinapayagan na pumunta’ yung mga non-essential na walang dahilan,” Macerin said over DZRH interview.

Police personnel inspected the identification cards of motorists and passengers of each public utility vehicle, including buses and jeepneys, to confirm that they are APORs, leading to a heavy traffic flow and lines that reached several “kilometers” in the area, he added. “Actually, I already told the bus conductors and drivers that before they allowed a passenger on board, they should look for his or her ID…so other motorists who have valid reasons to cross border would not be affected,” Macerin said in Filipino.

Macerin asked the public for understanding as he said, “it is for all of us.”

He added that he already requested some of the city’s police commanders to deploy more men to expedite the inspection process and would add more lanes for checkpoints.

Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite are currently under “GCQ bubble,” which means cross border and non-essential travel going into and out of the area are not allowed.