Published by Bayan Metro Manila
NCRPO chief Major General Debold Sinas should be made accountable for clear violation of ECQ rules when he allowed a ‘spontaneous’ mañanita to celebrate his 55th birthday. At the very least, he should step down while an internal probe is being conducted.
Sinas no longer has the credibility to enforce quarantine rules when his loyal well-wishers gathered for his birthday without observing proper social distancing protocols. It is also insensitive for public officials to organize a party and flaunt it on social media when millions are suffering from hunger, deprivation, and isolation.
Under Sinas’ watch, Metro Manila became a hotspot for human rights abuses. Lockdown restrictions led to draconian control of the population, overkill deployment of troops in communities, and imposition of harsh penalties on so-called pasaway or quarantine violators. Tens of thousands of desperate individuals seeking food, aid, and jobs were slapped with fines and even spurious charges for alleged ECQ violations. The Sinas’ approach not only failed to flatten the COVID-19 curve but also exacerbated the living conditions of Metro Manila residents.
Sinas is Duterte’s brutal enforcer who is remorseless in undermining civil liberties and subverting due processes. He is accused of masterminding the relentless attacks on peasant communities in Negros.
When he was deployed in Metro Manila, he quickly gained notoriety for the raids he conducted targeting leaders and community organizers of Bayan Metro Manila. Trumped-up charges based on fabricated evidence were used to detain five of our comrades from Gabriela, Kilusang Mayo Uno, and Kadamay.
He continued to use terror tactics in demonizing people’s organizations which are campaigning against the Manila Bay reclamation.
Sinas must answer for the ECQ violation, but we must also not forget his key role in militarizing the government’s COVID-19 response, and the human rights abuses conducted by troops under his command.
Pasaway generals
Sinas joins other Duterte generals who also made controversial remarks and actions in recent months.
AFP chief Felimon Santos was castigated for writing a letter to China for his request to avail of COVID-19 medicines. This was seen as improper at a time when the government has filed a diplomatic protest against China’s illegal incursions on Philippine maritime territories. One of the few who defended him was Senator Bato dela Rosa, the Tokhang general who led the bloody anti-drug campaign in 2016 and 2017.
Several retired generals in the Cabinet were quick to deny that the shutdown of ABS CBN was an attack on press freedom. They even defended the malicious propaganda of the government’s anti-communist task force even if this was based on lies and fake news. They were joined by the likes of Antonio Parlade of the Southern Luzon Command who even threatened the public with martial law declaration if critics will continue to decry the demise of press freedom.
These pasaway generals reflect the berdugo and tuta mentality of the commander-in-chief, the president who bungled the COVID-19 response with his criminal negligence and militarist type of governance. Duterte and these generals seek to dismiss public accountability by blaming the communist movement for the COVID-19 crisis. They are aware of the rising people’s anger that is why they are desperately instilling fear and brutal lockdown measures.
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