Guevarra to order NBI to look into possible ECQ violations during Sinas’ birthday party

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 13) – Is the ‘party’ over for the head of Metro Manila police?

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he will ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into possible violations of quarantine protocols during the birthday celebration of Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, head of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

“There is already an existing order to the NBI to investigate violations of quarantine protocols,” Guevarra told reporters in a text message.

The NCRPO’s public information office posted online the photos of Sinas together with other police officers partying on May 8 at Camp Bagong Diwa.

Netizens quickly criticized Sinas since mass gatherings are strictly prohibited under the enhanced community quarantine.

Sinas, who turned 55, was pictured without a face mask blowing out the candle on his cake. He and other officers were also shown without masks while eating together in one table and close to one another in violation of the physical distancing rules.

Despite apologizing, Sinas insisted that the circulated photos were edited and grabbed from old posts.

“It was never my intention to disobey any existing protocols relative to the implementation of enhanced community quarantine,” Sinas said in a statement.

Gueverra, however, said apology is not one of the grounds for extinguishing criminal liability.

‘Uneven’ implementation of the law

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, said the incident is a reflection of uneven implementation of the law during the time of public health emergency.

Diokno explained that when officials allied or identified with the administration are exposed for violating quarantine rules, the government is “dragging its feet as far as going after them.”

“Compared to those who are perceived to be against the government where you have law enforcement immediately going out visiting their homes, not just issuing subpoenas but actually arresting them without warrants,” Diokno said in an online forum.

He said he hopes people are noticing the problem with authorities violating the rules.

“I think we are slowly but surely opening our eyes to this kind of uneven handedness and when we will call on them into account that should be a factor in their reckoning,” Diokno said.

But Guevarra said he has always advised NBI to enforce the laws fairly and uniformly. He cited the case of Senator Koko Pimentel which is now under preliminary investigation.

He added that local officials have also been summoned to explain “apparent violations of quarantine protocols.”

READ: PNP chief defends NCRPO head Sinas on birthday celebration