By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

With the Home Quarantine Passes (HQPs) being reimposed in the city and the recent decision to place the city under general community quarantine, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) will deploy 35 inner and border checkpoints.

BCPO spokesperson, Police Lt. Colonel Ariel Pico, said 27 inner checkpoints will be deployed in key areas of the city, while eight will be placed along the city’s border with other local government units.

Pico said the checkpoints are tasked to implement Executive Orders (EO) No. 57 and 58 which were issued by Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia.

The checkpoints will be operated 24 hours a day with personnel divided into three shifts. Aside from the police, force multipliers will also help man the checkpoints.

Based on EO No. 58, HQPs will be issued to each household, wherein it can be used by a maximum of three people in the household, but only one person can go out at any given time.

A number coding scheme will also be implemented in the HQPs. Holders ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) shall be permitted to leave their homes every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Those with even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8, and 0), meanwhile, can use their HQPs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

No HQP holders shall be permitted to leave their households on Sundays, in the same manner that no HQPs shall be used on Sundays.

Those exempted from using the HQPs include government officials and employees, medical and non-medical frontline workers, business owners who need to supervise their establishments, self-employed individuals whose occupations require them to render essential services, and those seeking for medical services such as consultations, treatments, and therapies./DGB, WDJ