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President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed MG as head of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). Debold Sinas as the next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Sinas will take over from today, November 10, from General Camilo Cascolan, who will retire the same day.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the president appointed Sinas because of his record as an anti-drug crusader.
“The appointment to the position is a matter of trust and security and he (Sinas) is for the moment the president he trusts the most, so let’s leave it at that,” he added.
Sinas was at the center of controversy earlier this year after hosting a birthday party at his official residence at the NCRPO headquarters in Taguig City, while Metro Manila was under enhanced community quarantine.
He and 18 other officers were charged with violating the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and a Taguig ordinance, which requires the use of face masks and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sinas apologized for the incident and said he never intended to disobey any quarantine protocol.
He also said that some of the images that circulated on social media were “edited and taken from old posts.”
Roque said that while Sinas was not perfect, the president was impressed with his dedication to the campaign against illegal drugs.
Cascolan called on the 218,000-strong police force to rally in support of Sinas.
He said that Sinas “needs all the support and strong commitment of the PNP Officer Corps and the rank and file so that he can effectively carry out his duties and functions as Head of the PNP.”
In an organization like the PNP, “only the actors are changed, but the strategic vision remains constant,” said Cascolan.
The change of command ceremony at Camp Crame on Tuesday coincides with Cascolan’s 56th birthday.
Sinas, 55, will reach mandatory retirement age in May 2021.
Before being appointed chief of police for Metro Manila, Sinas was chief of police for central Visayas.
He had a two-year period as Secretary of Executive Personnel at PNP headquarters. In 2018, he was briefly in command of the PNP Crime Laboratory.
He also served in the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Intelligence Group, Regional Police Office (PRO) 12, PRO9, PRO3 and PRO Cordillera from 2003 to 2017.
Senators said Monday that Duterte made a “good choice” in appointing Sinas as head of the PNP.
Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd, and Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Panfilo Lacson, in separate text messages, supported Duterte’s election.
But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and fellow opponent Senator Francis Pangilinan were not enthusiastic about Sinas’ reappointment.
“Barring any controversy Major General Sinas has been entangled with in the past, he is a good fit for the highest post in the PNP,” Lacson said.
Dela Rosa, chairman of the Senate Public Order Committee, said that Sinas “is a good option. It has a proven track record. Nobody is perfect in this world “.
“My advice to him: continue with the internal cleaning program and maintain the achievements of the PNP’s anti-drug and anti-crime campaign,” he added.
Drilon said that “there are certain standards and qualifications that must be considered before one is appointed to lead a very important organization.”
Pangilinan, for his part, said: “With all due respect, it is not surprising that allies or allies involved in corruption cases are not being punished, consensual or even promoted (we were not surprised that allies involved in cases or irregularities they were not sanctioned but condoned or even promoted) ”.
In the House of Representatives, Sinas’ appointment garnered a mixed response.
The representative of the city of Muntinlupa, Rozzano Rufino Biazon, said that the “exercise of the prerogative and authority of Duterte to appoint the” head of the PNP “is enough to justify the appointment” of Sinas.
Sinas “showed commitment in the search for the Performance Governance System (PGS) in the NCRPO. He was proactive in ensuring that the NCRPO was not only compliant, but competent. He had a good relationship with the stakeholders, as evidenced by the cooperation of the business community in the reform initiatives undertaken under the PGS, ”Biazon said.
“But with the topic of the morning, he would only have to show that he has learned a lesson from the lapse by giving an excellent performance as head of the PNP, he added.
Bayan Muna’s representative, Eufemia Cullamat, said she was disappointed with Sinas’ appointment.
Rep. Diwa Mike Aglipay and Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. congratulated Sinas.
WITH JOHN ERIC MENDOZA BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO, REINA C. TOLENTINO
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