MANILA, Philippines — Two of the six jeepney drivers who had been detained at a center in Caloocan City after protesting the loss of their livelihood due to virus lockdown have tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Rep. Edgar Erice said.
In a text message to Philstar.com, Erice said the six jeepney drivers were tested on June 11 but their results were only released Wednesday.
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“We are working to put them into isolation centers and their immediate families for testing,” Erice said.
Philstar.com is not disclosing the identities of the two jeepney drivers who tested positive for their privacy. But 72-year-old Elmer Cordero was among those who tested negative for COVID-19.
Early in June, police arrested six jeepney drivers—dubbed as “Piston 6”—after a “Balik Pasada” protest led by transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston). They were charged with simple resistance and disobedience to authority when they allegedly refused to stop their demonstration along EDSA.
Four of the six drivers walked free on June 8. But Cordero and Wilson Ramillo remained behind bars after court records showed pending cases against them.
The detention of Cordero—the eldest among them—prompted calls from human rights groups and the public to free him on humanitarian grounds. But presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, a former human rights lawyer, said he must face charges against him “regardless of age.”
Cordero and Ramillo were released from detention on June 9.
Metro Manila—the center of the country’s coroanvirus outbreak—shifted to more relaxed general community quarantine but the government has yet to allow jeepneys to ply the roads.
Rights group have been appealing to the government to release vulnerable prisoners and stop detaining people with minor charges.
Cramped conditions and poor hygiene and sanitation conditions make prisons and detention centers among the most dangerous places for the spread of the new coronavirus. This grim situation makes it often impossible for persons deprived of liberty to comply with preventive measures such as physical distancing and frequent handwashing.