Drilon Slams “House-To-House” Search, Says Initiative Is Unreasonable
DRILON SLAMS HOUSE-TO-HOUSE SEARCH – Senate Minority leader Franklin Drilon criticized the government’s initiative to use the police in COVID-19 searches.
Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) received a directive to go house-to-house in search of coronavirus patients. However, police chief Eleazar Guevarra stated that the police would merely “help and assist” health workers.
READ: PNP To Go House-To-House Searching For Coronavirus Patients
In lieu of this, Drilon said forcing home-quarantine Filipinos to transfer to government isolation wards would “flagrantly violate” the people’s rights.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año stated that the police may enter homes to search if there are mild or asymptomatic patients. Afterward, these patients would be transferred to quarantine facilities.
However, according to an article from ABS-CBN, Drilon answered “No warrant, no entry!“.
If this government had only acted prudently and expeditiously, we would not have reached this point where our state security forces are being commanded to desecrate our inviolable constitutional right to be secure… against unreasonable searches and seizures of whatever nature and for any purpose
Furthermore, Drilon emphasized that amid the coronavirus pandemic, people needed health care professionals to conduct contact traces. He added that the police would sow fear and panic to the public.
Moreover, he said that government officials should be more creative in handling the situation and not “fascist actions to demand submission”.
As per the report, Drilon said that the coronavirus pandemic does not “suspend the bill of rights”. Along with this, he highlighted that the government needed to draw the public’s cooperation.
He said, this could be done if the government could let the people see that they have a clear and focused strategy in containing the virus.
READ ALSO: DOJ Sec. Not Consulted On “House-To-House” COVID Search