‘No one is above the law’: PNP eyes probe into Pangasinan mayor’s birthday party

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police will not spare the police officials and officers who joined the birthday party of Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan Mayor Timoteo Villar III, who is being investigated for violating quarantine rules.

PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of Joint Task Force COVID Shield, said that just as Metro Manila Police chief Gen. Debold Sinas and the policemen who attended the “mañanita” for Sinas’ birthday will be held liable for violating the law on quarantine, the Pangasinan cops, too, are not above the law.

“No one is above the law. Ang ating mga pulis, tayo na nagpapatupad, una dapat tayong sumusunod diyan (Policemen who are implementing the lockdown should be the first to follow the rules),” Eleazar said in an interview over dzBB when asked about the birthday party in Santo Tomas, Pangasinan.

“Iimbestigahan din sigurado yan. Kaya nga ang sinasabi natin hindi lang sa pulis kundi sa public servant natin, we should have this decency as well as sensitivity sa mga sitwasyon na ating kinakaharap at gawin natin yung tama whether may nakakakita o wala kung may camera man o wala, kung may litrato o wala,” he added.

(We will investigate that [Pangasinan mayor’s party]. That is why we are saying not only to police officers but also to all public servants that we should have this decency as well as sensitivity for this kind of situation, and we should do what is right, whether people are looking, regardless if there are cameras around.)

Eleazar pointed out that the PNP acted quickly in the case of Sinas’ alleged violation.

“Yung nangyari kay Gen. Sinas, iniimbestigahan na yan at ang bilis ng aksyon natin. In fact, mag-pa-file na nga ng kaso sa kanya ngayon,” he said.

(What happened with Gen. Sinas is now being investigated and we acted quickly on that. In fact, a case will be filed against him today.)

The PNP said it already ordered the Pangasinan police provincial office to investigate the involvement of some policemen in the birthday event of Villar last May 6 while the enhanced community quarantine is in effect.

The PNP Internal Affairs Service previously said it is preparing criminal cases against Sinas and other police officials which ignored social distancing during the quarantine period.

EDV