Police major faces cases for violating lockdown rules, testing positive for COVID-19

A police major, Rafael Baldado Roxas, who is the deputy chief of the Fingerprint Division of the Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame, Quezon City, is facing administrative and criminal cases for traveling from Metro Manila to Baguio City during the lockdown.

Roxas tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently the 31st case in Baguio City, and the first police officer in the Cordillera region to contract the virus.

He apologized to Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong for slipping into the city without undergoing the necessary quarantine protocols.

An investigation is underway to determine how Roxas entered Baguio and who allowed him entry without following the established procedures, as those entering the city are required to present permits and undergo quarantine protocols.

Roxas voluntarily revealed his identity to aid in contact tracing efforts and is currently confined at the Baguio General Hospital, while his family has been placed under isolation.

The barangay where Roxas resides will be placed under lockdown to help contain the spread of the virus, facilitate contact tracing, and allow for decontamination.