QUEZON CITY -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct surprise visits of all Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine (DOH-BOQ) and Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited quarantine hotels in the country in light of reports that some hotels are offering “absentee-quarantine” arrangements to returning overseas Filipinos.

DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año directed PNP Chief PGen Dionardo Carlos to deploy police units to the various quarantine hotels to conduct surprise inspections to determine if all individuals subject to quarantine are actually staying in the hotels.

“The DILG through the PNP will help the DOH-BOQ and the DOT in monitoring all individuals subject to quarantine. All those found absent from the facilities will be charged together with the hotel or facility management and staff in cahoots with these individuals,” he said.

He said that the PNP will request the names of all those subject to quarantine from the DOH-BOQ and will physically check their presence in the hotels.

The DILG Chief also directed the PNP to assist the local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR) in implementing the 30% indoor capacity and 50% outdoor capacity under Alert Level 3.

“I have also directed the NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office) to do random inspections of all business establishments to make sure that the operational limitations are followed, and only the vaccinated can access restaurants, leisure establishments, malls, public transportation, and similar establishments,” he said.

He said that the DILG fully supports the resolution of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) that the unvaccinated should remain at home and shall not be allowed access to restaurants and the like. “Eighty percent of those in the Intensive Care Unit are unvaccinated. It's only proper and reasonable for the MMC to implement such a policy,” he added.

He said that vaccination, coupled with strict adherence to Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS), will allow us to control the surge of the Delta and probably the Omicron variants.

“To ensure that NCR residents and workers are protected from community infections, it is but proper that only vaccinated individuals will be allowed unrestricted mobility,” he added. (DILG)