Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 18) — The Philippine National Police has ordered an investigation into an alleged beach party held in Camotes Island which was attended by some politicians last month.
In a statement on Wednesday, PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar said that upon the directive of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, he has tasked the Cebu police to look into the affair that supposedly took place on July 10.
He said the mass gathering, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, “could have been a superspreader event.”
The PNP did not name the alleged politicians involved.
It said the Department of the Interior and Local Government was first notified of the event through an anonymous complaint. The statement added that videos of the party were uploaded online showing “guests seemingly completely disregarding minimum public health safety standards and quarantine protocols.”
Eleazar stressed that mass gatherings and other potential superspreader events are prohibited. He also urged the public to continue reporting such violations of protocols to authorities.
The PNP chief assured that politicians will not be exempted from complying with COVID-19 rules.
A number of politicians and other public officials, however, have made headlines since the pandemic started for breaching health protocols.
Among them was Eleazar’s predecessor, former PNP chief Debold Sinas, who held a birthday party last year despite the strictest quarantine restrictions in place. Sinas was promoted as the country’s top cop months after the incident. President Rodrigo Duterte himself said he was as good as pardoned, saying his protocol violations were insignificant compared to corruption.
