QCPD station chief sacked over deployment of COVID-infected cops

The police commander of the Talipapa Police Station in Quezon City was sacked from her post for command responsibility over the deployment of her men for State of the Nation Address (SONA) duties even if they were still waiting for the results of the swab test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Fi y-one of the 82 personnel of the Talipapa Police Station who tested positive for coronavirus were deployed for SONA duties. They were tested on July 23 but the results were only released on Wednesday, July 28, or two days after they were tapped to secure the protest sites for President Duterte’s final SONA.

Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the relief of Lt. Col. Cristine Tabdi was due to a breach of protocol when she allowed the deployment of her men who were then still waiting for the RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) result.

“This should serve as a reminder to all our commanders to exercise prudence and to strictly abide with our existing protocols amid the serious threat of COVID-19, especially with the rising number of infection from the Delta variant,” said Eleazar.

Tabid was already subjected to swab test but tested negative.

“Right a er the RT-PCR results were released and showed that 82 of our QCPD personnel tested positive for coronavirus, we immediately conducted focused testing on all other QCPD personnel in order to identify, isolate and provide necessary medical assistance for all those who may have been infected by the virus,” said Eleazar in a statement issued yesterday.

Part of the contact-tracing and testing were the policemen and other people who made close contacts with the 82 police men who tested positive. They include 167 PNP personnel who were subjected to swab test on Wednesday and are now waiting for the result.