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HOURS after announcing that his committee will open an investigation in the Senate on Monday, February 26 into the shooting between the Quezon City police and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was forced to to declare a postponement, as heads of the National Police and PDEA tested positive for Covid-19 and are in quarantine.
Dela Rosa, president of the Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee, announced on Saturday the holding of the long-awaited hearing scheduled for Monday, March 15.
However, after noon Sunday, Dela Rosa said they were taking extra precautions because several other resource people on both the PNP and PDEA sides were in quarantine. In fact, a “close contact” of the PNP chief, Debold Sinas, a certain Lieutenant Colonel Extremadura, “died yesterday after testing positive with the CPNP,” Senator de la Rosa said in an alert to the media.
Dela Rosa, himself a former head of the PNP before being elected senator, broke previous expectations – as expressed by the president of the Senate, Vicente Sotto III – that Sinas and Villanueva could participate virtually from their isolation facilities.
In her urgent notice to the media, Dela Rosa, however, stated that “committee hearings of this type can be more frustrating if done virtually. Hoping for your kind understanding, Bato. “
On Sunday, news reports said PDEA chief General Wilkins Villanueva had received a tip that he was infected with Covid after taking a hyssop test, a requirement for what would have been his personal appearance Monday in the Senate, which has been holding hybrid sessions and hearings on the pandemic. Some senators and specialists are physically in the Senate building in the Covid hot zone, Pasay City; and others participate virtually.
Speaking to DWIZ radio on Saturday, Senate President Sotto said that PNP chief General Sinas, who tested positive for Covid a few days ago, may very well participate virtually in the Dela Rosa panel hearing. In the same way, he is expected to seek the virtual participation of Villanueva, who has unconditionally defended the PDEA operatives in the QC shopping center shooting, saying that they were in a legitimate operation and that the policemen involved had not followed the rules. of confrontation.
When asked by DWIZ for a comment on the series of murders involving police officers, Sotto said, partly in Filipino, “Anyway, we are going to have a hearing on that in the next few days, on Monday or Tuesday if I’m not mistaken. Now, those trying to avoid facing the Senate investigation should not stay away. If you can’t attend, virtual [participation] is allowed. There is no excuse “.
He recalled that “General Sinas is in quarantine,” Sotto told DWIZ: “but we have virtual.”
Sotto admitted that he was “disappointed” with Sinas because, as head of the PNP, he apparently failed to follow health protocols on a visit to Oriental Mindoro, a few days before testing positive.
Sinas had been vilified on social media several months ago, after images showed his subordinates “serenading” him on his birthday, when he was still head of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). and he was in charge of enforcing the strict rules of social networks. distancing. He described the event as the traditional “morning” for senior police officers, adding that he did not encourage him and was surprised by his men.
Referring to the latest Sinas controversy, Senate President Sotto said: “Yes, I hope that [officials] don’t do that ”, that is, it flouts the protocols. He recalled how, when he was a guest of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) last month, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong “took me to triage. We were all tested. We filled out forms, me and everyone in my group. Well then there was only one with me. “
When asked if he thought there was a collapse in the PNP leadership because of what is happening, Sotto told DWIZ: “I don’t know, I don’t want to be critical when it comes to that. I’m just saying that you cannot impose rules on other people, but exempt others. That can not be.”
In a provincial official’s report that Sinas skipped the screening, Sotto agreed, “There is a violation there. When mayors, senators and the president of the Senate, when they go to a place, they have to go through triage or protocol, and they all follow it, what right does the head of the PNP have to ignore the protocol? ”.
