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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appointed as his national police chief an officer who sparked public ire this year for violating pandemic restrictions.
The appointment of Major General Debold Sinas, who was previously the chief of police for Metro Manila, was announced Monday by Duterte spokesman Harry Roque. General Sinas was one of 19 police officers charged in May with violating social distancing rules after his birthday party was held at the police headquarters in Manila during a confinement. At the time, the government said the charges demonstrated its commitment to stamping out misconduct by officials.
Roque defended the appointment of General Sinas, saying that he had been a “great help” in Duterte’s drug war, which has killed thousands since the president took office in 2016. General Sinas must retire when he turns 56. years next May. .
“Let’s give it a chance,” Roque said. “He has six months to prove himself and let’s see if he inspires people.”
Human rights groups say that extrajudicial executions related to the drug war have continued despite this year’s closures and, in fact, have not been controlled as the country grapples with the health crisis. Cristina Palabay, director of the Philippine human rights group Karapatan, said that under General Sinas there were more drug-related killings, as well as illegal arrests.
The Philippines, a country of more than 100 million people where virus cases peaked in August, has had nearly 400,000 infections, one of the highest numbers in Southeast Asia. There have been 7,647 deaths, according to a New York Times database.
