By JEFFREY DAMICOG * AARON RECUENCO
Embattled National Capital Region Police Office chief Police Major Gen. Debold Sinas said yesterday he will not go on leave while he is being investigated over alleged violations of quarantine protocols during his birth anniversary celebration recently.
Sinas, in an interview over CNN Philippines, said he will only go on leave upon the order of President Duterte or Philippine National Police chief Police Gen. Archie Gamboa
“Unless otherwise instructed by the chief PNP or the President, I don’t think so,” Sinas said “Hindi na po kailangan. Hintayin ko na lang result ng investigation,” he added.
The PNP Internal Affairs Service and the National Bureau of Investigation have been tasked to conduct the investigation on his alleged violation of extreme community quarantine protocols.
The probe stemmed from photos posted in the NCRPO Facebook page about his birth anniversary celebration last May 8.
Sinas has apologized for the incident and vowed to accept the results of the investigation. “I take responsibility doon, ayoko na sisihin ‘yung mga tao ko kasi nag-greet lang po sila sa akin,” he said.
He explained that he did not arrange the event he called a “mananita,” a police and military tradition that is done early in the morning to greet senior officers in his or her quarters. “It’s very ungentlemanly para sa isang tao kung hindi ko sila hinarap at kung pinauwi ko na sila,” he explained.
Sinas assured that quarantine protocols were observed during the event, including social distancing and the wearing of masks.
He insisted that they did not violate quarantine protocols since the event happened inside his quarters and not on the street.
Sinas said the event did not last long since at 7:30 a.m. that day, the NCRPO proceeded with the distribution of relief goods to poor communities in Metro Manila.
Based on the protocol of the PNP, a police officer under investigation should be relieved from his post since he might influence the outcome of the investigation.
However, lawyer Alfegar Triambulo, inspector general of IAS, cited two important reasons why Sinas and other police officers being investigated over the controversial birth anniversary party are exempted from the rule.
First, Triambulo explained that the country is currently under an abnormal situation where the entire Filipino people are under the threat of the COVID-19 and that the officials involved are at the frontlines in implementing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We should also consider that Metro Manila is the center of the COVID-19 so if we just removed all of them from their posts, this might create a leadership vacuum that would somehow impact on the implementation of the preventive measures on the ground,” Triambulo said.
The second and the most important, according to Triambulo, is that he promised Gamboa that the result of the investigation would be on his table this morning.
“We gave an assurance that the investigation will be quick and it will be done. By tomorrow (Friday), we will submit the result of the investigation to the chief PNP,” said Triambulo.