Makabayan solons slam Sinas' appointment as PNP chief

Members of the House Makabayan Bloc on Monday slammed the appointment of Police Major General Debold Sinas as the next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In a statement, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Ferdinand Gaite said Sinas' appointment only shows that competence and integrity did not matter in President Rodrigo Duterte's appointments.

Rather, it was "all about notoriety and absolute loyalty to the president."

"We know Gen. Sinas from his stint in Western Visayas when numerous extrajudicial killings and illegal arrests were rampant. Of course, he is also well known for breaking numerous quarantine protocols just to have a mañanita for his birthday," he said.

"As things stand, young police and army officers would cozy it up with politicians so that they can also get juicy positions after some time. This glaring example of patronage politics imposes upon them that merit and competence has little or nothing to do with securing positions, what matters is who you know and not what you know," he added.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced Sinas' appointment earlier in the day, replacing outgoing PNP chief Police General Camilo Cascolan who is set to retire on Tuesday.

But Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas said Sinas' designation as PNP chief came as no surprise for her, as the President is known for rewarding "loyal, blood-thirsty police and military officials."

"This is also part of the Duterte regime's plan to intensify its red-tagging schemes and brutal war machinery against the Filipino people with the help of one of his most loyal lackeys," she said.

"With more power to suppress legitimate dissent, Maj. Gen Debold Sinas will be more capable of not only hosting illegal mass gatherings, but in orchestrating mass arrests and mass murders of ordinary citizens ala-Oplan Sauron," she added.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro, for her part, said more human rights violations are expected under Sinas' term as PNP chief.

She recalled that it was during Sinas' time as regional director of Central Visayas police office when killings of activists, farmers, and human rights defenders became rampant in the region.

"The engineer of the massacres and the countless killings in Negros now serving as the new chief PNP, we can only expect that he will continue serving the tyrannical rule of the Duterte administration instead of protecting the rights and safety of the Filipino people," she said.

"With this new appointment of the Chief PNP, we can only expect more human rights violations against the Filipino people as the tyrannical rule of the Duterte administration persists," she added.

Sinas became infamous over a mañanita held on May 8 to mark his birthday, which allegedly violated the ban on mass gatherings and the social distancing rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is facing criminal charges over the birthday gathering, and Roque emphasized that Sinas' appointment would not automatically absolve him of the charges. — DVM, GMA News