Published by Bayan Metro Manila
General Debold Sinas should be held accountable for his bloody human rights legacy instead of being appointed to a civilian position in the bureaucracy.
His ‘mañanita scandal’ should at least make him ineligible from getting a new post in the government. He has bigger sins that should warrant an immediate prosecution. Tokhang and extrajudicial killings surged in the past six months. In Metro Manila, he enforced harsh lockdown restrictions which curtailed civil liberties and disrupted the lives of many. Under his leadership, the police waged brutal crackdowns in Negros, Metro Manila, Panay, Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, and Bicol regions targeting activists and human rights defenders.
Sinas weaponized judicial processes to silence activists and critics of the Rodrigo Duterte government. His troops terrorized communities under the guise of addressing a public health crisis.
His retirement offers a chance for the victims of police-sponsored violence to seek justice. He may soon continue proving his canine loyalty to Duterte but we will not stop reminding the public about his crimes against humanity.
A remorseless human rights violator like him doesn’t deserve a peaceful retirement. We will continue to fight impunity by working to make sure that active or retired generals who abuse their power like Sinas are put behind bars.