NOTE: This story was first published in The Bohol Chronicle’s Sunday print edition.

Around 300 individuals had been caught violating the community quarantine policies, most of them fell under the curfew policy.

This is from March 18 to April 1.

 The record at the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) shows that 168 male and 17 female residents had been caught violating Executive Order 13 of the province which imposes curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

 The most surprising input in the statistics is on the violation of the DOTr guidelines which came out to be the least violated with only one violation recorded, contrary to the common public feedback.

 The DOTr guidelines is supposed to mean the limit in the passengers of public utility vehicles and the no-back rider policy which, according to public feedback, is rampant and notoriously visible.

 Next to eight-hour curfew is the 24-hour curfew for minors in the ranking of policies with the most number of violations.

 The BPPO recorded 51 violations of the 24-hour curfew for minors under EO 16- -44 male and 7 female individuals aged below 18.

 As to the 24-hour curfew for those aged 65 and above, the three violators in the record were all female. This ranks second to the least violated policies.

 The third most violated policies is the non-wearing of facemasks under EO 15, with 30 violators in the record.

 The fourth most violated is EO 17 which implements a partial liquor ban, with 25 violations.

 The policy on social distancing had five violators.

 Meanwhile, four residents of Bilang-bilangan Diot in the town of Bien Unido will be facing charges of resistance and disobedience to a person in authority under Article 151 of the of violation of the Revised Penal Code, violation of Presidential Proclamation 929 or the Declaration of State of Public Health Emergency, and the Executive Order 8 of the Province which places the province under community quarantine.

 This is for crossing Cebu to Bohol onboard a motor banca.

 In his report, Police Captain Lito Rosales identified the four residents of Bilang-bilangan Diot as 40-year-old Archiebal Mabala, 27-year-old Rio Mabala, 39-year-old Junval -year-old and 22-year-old Regie Taneo.

 Rosales stated in his report that at around 7 p.m. on March 27, a team from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) based in Talibon composed of SN2 Wilfredo Jubac, SN2 Benito Viodor Jr. brought the four persons to Bien Unido Municipal Police Station.

 The Coast Guard team narrated that they were roving the borders of Bohol that night when they intercepted the boat that ferried them upon docking on the shores of the island barangay of Bilang-bilangan Diot.

 According to Rosales, Archiebal Mabala was the boat operator and the three others were his passengers.

 Rosales narrated that the four left from Liloan, Cebu and sailed to the island barangay of Bilang-bilangan Diot.

 The PCG then took custody of the motor banca.

 This report was not the first story of smuggling stranded Boholanos from Cebu to Bohol in the duration of the community quarantine.

 However, the PCG in Bohol admitted they have to make do with only 142 personnel and 27 new recruits.

 On this, Capitol’s Provincial Emergency Management Administration (PEMA) plans to negotiate with resort owners who have speedboats for the possibility of renting their speedboats which the peace and security cluster of PEMA can use in running after motorized bancas or pump boats that are used to smuggle stranded Boholanos in Cebu.

 This is to augment the PCG’s limited manpower.

 PEMA’s peace and security cluster will launch aggressive measures after receiving reports that fishermen smuggled stranded Boholanos in Cebu at P10,000 pesos per trip which put the safety of both the stranded Boholanos and the Boholanos inside Bohol at stake at the height of the rising number of Covid-19 cases.