NCRPO cops accused of harassing Taguig family; Sinas explains move

MANILA, Philippines — National Capital Region Police Office chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas and some of his men were accused of harassing a family in seeking their eviction from an old police compound in Taguig City.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Arles Delos Santos said several armed police officers dismantled their gate at about 4 p.m. Delos Santos said their family wanted a peaceful dialogue with the officers and a certification that their actions were legal.

“HINDI TUMITIGIL ANG ASO NAMIN SA PAGTAHOL AT ANG MATABANG PULIS NA SIGAW NANG SIGAW,” he said of a certain policeman, whom he later recognized as Sinas.

[Our dog did not stop barking and a fat policeman continued shouting.]

https://www.facebook.com/ArlesDelosSantos/posts/4134210119985119

Delos Santos said he saw the officers taking photos of them. So he took out his cell phone to also document the incident until a police officer suddenly grabbed it.

“GANOON KAKAPAL ANG MUKHA NILA. KAYA NILANG KUHANAN NG LITRATO ANG MGA SIBILYAN NA TULAD NAMIN PERO SILA NA MAY KASAMANG SWAT AT ARMADO, HINDI PWEDE???” said Delos Santos.

[That’s how thick-faced they are. They can take pictures of us civilians but we cannot take photos of them?]

He saiid the NCRPO officers came to their residence without showing any document and suddenly took photos.

Their family spoke with the officers properly, but the officers continued taking photos of them instead, according to Delos Santos.

“MAYA-MAYA, INABOT NAMIN ANG PAPEL NA NAGPAPATUNAY SA LEGALIDAD NG AMING PAMAMALAGI SA BAHAY NAMIN KASAMA ANG PAPEL NA PIRMADO NIYA MISMONG WALANG PAPELES ANG PNP SA LUGAR NA ‘TO,” he further said.

[Later we handed over the papers that prove the legality of our staying in our house, including the paper that he (Sinas) himself signed. The PNP has no papers related to this place.]

Delos Santos narrated that he then tried to get the document from the police officers since they did not want to return it and instead took photos of it.

“…PERO ANG NANGYARI, INAMBAHAN AKO NG SUNTOK NG PULIS NA SI ‘RODRIGUEZ’ KAHIT MAAYOS KO NAMANG HININGI ANG PAPEL,” he said.”

[But what happened was a police officer named Rodriguez moved as if he was about to punch me even if I was properly asking to get the paper back.)

Before this incident, police offcers have been coming almost every day to evict the family from the house without showing any necessary documents, according to Delos Santos.

He said the officers who visited them would use force despite their family trying to have a peaceful conversation, eventually causing trauma to his siblings.

Delos Santos also disputed the claim of the officers that the area was government property as some officials had been selling parts of the lot. He added that PNP officials also have large houses at the site.

“GEN. SINAS, TAKOT ANG DINALA NINYO SA AMIN AT NG ISANG BATALYONG KASAMA MO. NAKIKIPAG-USAP KAMI NANG MAAYOS PERO DAHAS ANG IBINIBIGAY NINYO SA AMIN. SIBILYAN KAMI AT WALANG ARMAS PERO KUNG ITRATO NIYO KAMI, AKALA MGA KRIMINAL,” he added.

[General Sinas, you and the battalion that was with you brought fear to us. We spoke with you politely but you showed us force. We are unarmed civilians but you treated us like criminals.]

NCRPO’s defense

In a statement on Sunday, Sinas denied that he and the NCRPO personnel dismantled the gate of the house.

According to him, the location recorded in the closed-circuit television camera videos posted by Delos Santos on Facebook is the barricaded parking area of a motor pool near the old Regional Direct Support Unit (RDSU) building which the NCRPO is currently rehabilitating to be used as a quarantine facility for the police.

He explained that he visited the Southern Police District to spearhead the inspection of the quarantine facility and to check the necessary improvements.

However, the parking area was barricaded with barbed wire, used tires, and a private car, when the police approached it, according to Sinas.

The concerned area, said Sinas, is part of the Southern Police District’s property granted through a memorandum of agreement signed with the Philippine Navy.

He said that in the past, the Southern Sector, now the SPD, constructed the old RDSU building to include the motor pool building and its parking area.

During that time, Police Executive Master Sgt. Arnel Delos Santos, father of Arles, was still on active duty as a member of the Regional Logistics Division assigned in the motorpool. Hence, he was allowed to temporarily use the quartering facility of the structure “considering the necessity of his service and for humanitarian consideration.”

“However, it was made clear to him that after his retirement, sufficient time frame will be provided for him to vacate the premises considering that it is a government property. All the while he was cooperative and promised to be compliant with the agreement,” said Sinas.

Several notices and attempts to settle the issue for him to vacate the property were given after he retired in November 2018, but the older Delos Santos refused to converse with police officials regarding his “illegal occupancy” of the motor pool quarters and even brought his whole family, according to the NCRPO chief.

“Furthermore, despite the request for him to show up that day to settle down the issue, he did not heed the request and instead sent his relatives including his PWD [person with disability] son with photocopies of documents, the authenticity of which are questionable and incapable of being established,” Sinas added.

He explained that he only ordered the removal of the barricade blocking the motor pool parking area consisting of barbed wires, old tires, and plank of woods to give way for the policemen to survey the facility.

Sinas said that the NCRPO is still exerting efforts to talk to the retired officer regarding the matter, “with great appreciation to the service rendered by our former comrade.”

He added that the NCRPO leadership even offered him support in relocating his family once they vacate the quartering unit.

/atm