Media Quote
Responding to President Rodrigo Duterte’s appointment of Major General Debold Sinas as the new chief of the Philippine National Police, Amnesty International Philippines Section Director Butch Olano said:
“Again and again, the Duterte administration has rewarded the most errant police officers with protection and promotion instead of holding them to account for human rights violations. Major General Sinas’ appointment as police chief is no exception.
Again and again, the Duterte administration has rewarded the most errant police officers with protection and promotion instead of holding them to account for human rights violations. Major General Sinas’ appointment as police chief is no exception.
Butch Olano
“During his stint as Central Visayas police chief from mid-2018 to late 2019, Cebu saw hundreds of drug-related extrajudicial killings by the police and armed vigilantes – virtually none of which were resolved. Under his watch, furthermore, 14 farmers were killed in Negros Oriental province in March 2019.
“Sinas’ appointment to the highest police post is the epitome of impunity. Just this year, he violated quarantine protocols for holding a birthday mañanita and was not sanctioned under the law. Meanwhile, Metro Manila police – of which Sinas was the chief – have arrested thousands for allegedly violating quarantine guidelines.
“Just last week, a young man was shot dead in a hospital while receiving treatment from a previous assassination attempt, but not before telling his friend the police were after him. Despite domestic and international condemnation, police abuses during the government’s ‘war on drugs’ continue. Instead of investigating, President Duterte’s response has so far been to encourage the killings, protect those who kill for him and reward some with the highest government posts. Police abuses and impunity must end now.”
Background
On 9 November, President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Major General Debold Sinas as the new Philippine National Police chief. Before this, Sinas was the chief of the Metro Manila Police and the Central Visayas police. On 10 November, Sinas will replace outgoing police chief Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, who was appointed in September despite being a leading architect of the murderous ‘war on drugs’.