Sinas, 18 police officers charged over lockdown violations
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday filed a criminal and administrative complaint against Metro Manila police chief MGen. Debold Sinas and 18 other police officials for allegedly violating guidelines under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
BGen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, said the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) filed the case before the Taguig City Prosecutors Office at about 4 p.m.
Charges stemmed from images that were taken of Sinas and the police officials who were at a birthday party last week despite the lockdown.
Aside from Sinas, also charged were five brigadier generals namely: Nicolas Bathan, Florendo Quibuyen, Florencio Ortilla, Gerry Galvan and Ildelbrandy Usana.
Eight police colonels were also charged: Eliseo Tanding, Remus Medina, Raul Tacaca, Emmanuel Peralta, Tomas Frias, Rodel Pastor, Ferdinand Ortega and Manuel Abrugena.
Also charged were PLt. Col. Orlando Carag Jr.; Police Majors Epream Paguyod and Britz Sales; and Police Corporals Abdumar Bakil and Bernie Lazaga.
The IAS said the police officials violated Republic Act 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.”
The officials were also charged for violating the local ordinance of Taguig
City on wearing face masks and physical distancing.
Sinas and his subordinates are also facing administrative charges for less grave neglect of duty and less grave
misconduct under Rule 21 of the National Police Commission Memorandum Circular 2016-002 for refusal or neglect in observing ECQ guidelines.
IAS Insp. Gen. Alfegar Triambulo
confirmed that the photos circulating on social media regarding the birthday gathering of Sinas were taken inside Camp Bagong Diwa.
Based on the investigation, IAS disclosed that the gathering started at 5 p.m. on May 8 with Sinas not wearing a mask.
The Metro Police chief has apologized for the incident but said that some of the photos were edited.
IAS was assigned by PNP chief Archie Francisco Gamboa to investigate the incident.
Before the ECQ implementation in Metro Manila last March, Sinas even warned that all quarantine violators would be immediately arrested.
A total of 49,591 violators have been arrested nationwide for lockdown violations, based on PNP data.
Of the number, 2,296 violators are still detained.
‘Sinas deserves punishment’
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Sinas should get the punishment he deserves.
“Whichever way one looks at it, NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office) chief Police MGen. Debold Sinas set a bad example in committing what he did during his birthday ‘mañanita’ or whatever he wants to call it,” said Lacson, a former PNP chief.
As a result, according to the senator, Sinas had been “bashed,” criticized and pilloried both on social and mainstream media for the incident, even as he has since apologized and regretted his indiscretion.
“Certainly, he should get the punishment he deserves even as the appropriate authorities are already investigating him,” he added.
“However, we may also want to take into consideration his long law enforcement service to the country and the Filipino people, and his present efforts in supervising the checkpoints all over Metro Manila to make us safe from the coronavirus threat,” he continued.
Lacson said his statement was not meant to suggest forgiveness or absolution for Sinas.
“Rather, it is an appeal to concerned netizens not to rub salt to injury by going to the extent of posting out-of-date photos to sow more hatred towards Sinas by exploiting the naïveté of certain individuals to join the bandwagon of hate towards the police officer,” he added.
Even former PNP chief Sen. Ronald de la Rosa expressed his disagreement with what seemed to be an untimely merriment of his former colleagues.
“It could have been better if they just delivered the food packs at the doorsteps of every household to avoid mass gathering and violating the social distancing protocol,” he said in a statement.