Senator Francis Pangilinan said Wednesday those who joined the alleged birthday party of National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Police Major General Debold Sinas should be arrested for clearly violating quarantine rules.
“Kung seryoso sila sa pagpapatupad ng batas sa lahat, dapat sampahan ng kasong paglabag sa batas ang mga ‘yan at ikulong kasama ang libu-libo na kinulong nila dahil sa quarantine violations,” Pangilinan said in a message to reporters.
(If they are really serious in enforcing the law, a case should be filed against them. They should be jailed together with those with quarantine violations.)
PNP chief Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa on Wednesday ordered the Internal Affairs Service to conduct a probe into the birthday celebration of Sinas.
Gamboa earlier said he sees no violation in NCRPO chief Debold Sinas’ birthday celebration amid enhanced community quarantine.
“Una, walang party’ ng nangyari ang sabi ni Gen. [Debold] Sinas. Probably nagkaroon ng mañanita pero doon sa mañanita ang sabi ni Gen. Sinas is that inobserve pa rin nila ‘yong mga social distancing. Now, I don’t think na meron namang violation ito,” he said in his virtual press briefing.
(First, no party occurred according to Gen. [Debold] Sinas. They had mañanita probably, but in the mañanita, Gen. Sinas said the observed social distancing. Now, I don’t think that there is a violation.)
Also read: PNP chief says no ‘violation’ in NCRPO chief’s birthday celebration
Arrest, jail Sinas’ birthday party attendees
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año meanwhile said the gathering should not have been organized because enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is still imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said it was a “big no-no” adding government officials should set an example and show “delicadeza” (propriety).
Former PNP chief turned senator Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa meanwhile said it would have been better if NCRPO Chief Debold Sinas just distributed relief goods, like what he did on his birthday.
“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,” Dela Rosa said.
The said birthday fete garnered criticisms from netizens since there were reports of human rights violations committed by the PNP. They cited the case of slain ex-military Winston Ragos, who was killed over an alleged quarantine violation.