Palace assures quarantine violators will be prosecuted

MANILA – Malacañang on Friday assured that violators of quarantine protocols would be prosecuted as the coronavirus pandemic lingers.

Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the statement amid reports that a returning Filipina from the United States breached quarantine protocols this December and tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“We will not hesitate to prosecute those who are violating the law. Talagang po-prosecute namin ‘yan (We would definitely prosecute them). Hindi natin tatantanan ‘yan (We won’t let this slide. This is a public health emergency,” Nograles said in his final Palace press briefing for 2021.

Nograles stressed the need for the public to follow health protocols for “everybody’s protection and safety”, noting that the quarantine violators would not get away with impunity.

“Anyone who violates the law will catch up to you. Huwag niyo subukan, please (Don’t even try, please)” Nograles said.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat did not drop a name but shared in a radio interview that the woman was seen in a bar in Poblacion, Makati City where she partied the day after she arrived in the country.

Berjaya Makati Hotel, the quarantine facility, initially covered for the girl, saying she was in isolation the whole time, but the Department of Tourism (DOT) said it received evidence from the woman’s fellow partygoers themselves testifying she was with them.

Romulo-Puyat said the girl eventually admitted skipping quarantine.

Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said they will leave the issue to law enforcers and the courts, if necessary.

He said those who cooperated with the girl, who came from Los Angeles, California, to circumvent the law may also be held liable.