Local officials have subjected people caught breaking lockdown rules to humiliating and abusive punishments, locking them in cramped dog cages or forcing them to sit in the harsh midday sun, according to reports.
Reports of several recent alleged abuses in the Philippines have prompted a call from Human Rights Watch for officials to respect the rights of those found breaking the lockdown, and to investigate any excesses in policing the new restrictions. Severe lockdown President Rodrigo Duterte put the main Philippine island of Luzon, home to more than 50 million people and the capital, Manila, on lockdown on March 16 as part of a month-long containment strategy. Since then police have arrested hundreds of people for violating the lockdown rules. As of Friday, the Philippines has recorded 803 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 54 deaths.