Happy Birthday, Chief Sinas!

BREAKING NEWS (as of June 8, 2020, 9:30 AM): Five police officers in San Juan City have been ordered relieved after Mayor Francis Zamora and his police entourage breached quarantine rules in Baguio City, Metro Manila police chief Debold Sinas said on Monday.

But why the countless haha and angry reactions on Facebook? Was this good news because the five police officers were held accountable?

Apparently, their boss showed one of the greatest acts of hypocrisy in the annals of the Philippine National Police.

NCRPO Chief Sinas was widely criticized last month after photos of his birthday party surfaced online. Amid the existing enhanced community quarantine imposed all over Luzon, the implementer of the law chose to break health protocols, which aimed to suppress the transmission of the highly-contagious disease.

PNP Chief Archie Gamboa and President Rodrigo Duterte sided with Sinas because of his leadership when he took over the position.

“I hope the public would understand that we have an emergency situation. If he is replaced, we will never know. It is difficult to replace him because he has a lot of programs in relation to COVID,” PNP Chief Gamboa said.

“When he assumed the leadership of the NCRPO, illegal gambling in National Capital Region really stopped. I hope that the public would be able to validate that there is really no bribery when it comes to illegal gambling in NCR,” he added.

“But you know seniority. It is his time to be there and I do not believe in just firing him because people sang ‘happy birthday’ to him,” President Duterte said.

Charges were filed against Sinas and five other officers by the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Services (PNP-IAS) on May 15 for violations of a Taguig City Ordinance requiring citizens to wear face masks and Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.

Since then, statements released by Sinas were harshly derided online. He would constantly receive ‘Happy Birthday’ greetings from netizens who were frustrated that the police chief won’t be held accountable by the PNP chief and the president.

No one takes him seriously anymore.

Even the breaking news abovementioned didn’t salvage his reputation.

Their boss showed one of the greatest acts of hypocrisy in the annals of the Philippine National Police

The mañanita – It is a way of greeting a birthday celebrant by serenading him with a special song. Later additions to the tradition are eating cake and giving presents. In summary, a mañanita is a serenade sung at dawn to wake up a birthday celebrant. This was the term used by Sinas in defending himself from critics – of NCRPO Chief Sinas will forever be etched in our memories. And the responses from top police officials will be a precedent from future law violators. That justice is only applicable to the poor. That the powerful will always get a free pass from accountability. That inequality will always be part of our society.

Happy Birthday, Chief Sinas, and I hope that you’ll be punished for breaching quarantine protocols.

Featured image from Inquirer.Net.

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