PNP CHIEF Gen. Archie Gamboa on Wednesday defended Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, saying the National Capital Region Police Office head was justified in leading a team of policemen who recently tried to evict the family of a retired policeman from a government property in Taguig City.
Gamboa also shot down insinuations that the occupants, referring to the family of retired M/Sgt. Arnel delos Santos, had a right to the property beside the old NCRPO Regional District Support Unit.
Reports said the authorities allowed Delos Santos to occupy the house when he was in active service but he should have vacated it when he retired in November 2018.
Sinas, accompanied by several policemen, went to the area on July 18 to evict the family from the facility which the PNP is planning to convert into a COVID-19 quarantine facility for policemen.
A confrontation marred the eviction, with one of the companions of Sinas attempting to punch a household member. Another policeman grabbed the cellphone of a family member who was taking a video of what was happening. Delos Santos was not around at that time.
The family claimed their occupation of the compound is legal and vowed to press trespassing, harassment, threats and grave misconduct cases against the policemen.
Gamboa, however, said the Delos Santos family has no right over the area “because it is a government property and it is even a government structure.”
“That is what some people do not understand, that’s why they are bashing Gen. Sinas but my stand on what happened is it was just rightful to impose what’s ours,” Gamboa said.
Last May, Sinas was also bashed on social media after his subordinates threw a birthday party for him, violating health protocols like physical distancing and wearing of face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Sinas and his men were criminally charged before the Taguig City prosecutor’s office. They are also being investigated by the PNP Internal Affairs Service for their infraction.
Gamboa also justified the arrest of two protesters inside the Quiapo Church during President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address last Monday amid criticisms the PNP violated their rights to demonstrate.
Gamboa said the PNP allowed the rallyists to protest outside the church. However, he said the two later went inside the church and brought out their placards.
“So this caused the Church authorities to request the assistance of the PNP. The police did not just go there (inside the church). We were requested upon,” Gamboa said, adding church officials commended the PNP for their response.
“They PNP just reacted on a report that was given to us. I don’t consider that as a misbehavior,” Gamboa said, adding the cops only acted on the request of church authorities.
