Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas is not yet off the hook as Oriental Mindoro officials are mulling possible sanctions against the police chief who tested positive for COVID-19.
Oriental Mindoro Governor Humerlito Dolor said the provincial government was already conducting its own investigation to determine what happened during Sinas’ visit in Calapan.
“If we prove that no coordination or health profiling had indeed taken place, he has to be held responsible. If the city government is saying this was not coordinated with them and no health profiling took place upon his arrival, then for me, he can be held responsible for that,” Dolor said in an interview on ABS-CBN News.
The governor added that while IATF Resolution 101 only requires authorized persons outside of residence to present a travel order or an ID proving a schedule of visit, the LGU can still require travel coordination passes, which Sinas reportedly did not do.
Sinas entered the province using a chopper.
“We have no health personnel designated in airports because there are no regular flights here in Oriental Mindoro,” Dolor said.
The mayor of Calapan City in Mindoro wants Sinas to be held accountable for violating COVID-19 protocols.
The mayor said Sinas should be asked to explain his reckless behavior, resulting in violations of the city’s screening procedure despite being tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Arnan Panaligan said in a Facebook thread that Sinas failed to follow the screening protocols required for anyone traveling to the provinces.
“He should be made to answer and be held responsible for his reckless behavior,” Panaligan said.
“He was tested before he flew here. It is SOP (standard operating procedure) that when one is tested, he must first go on quarantine and wait for the result. He failed to do that. When he came here, he did not tell us that he was waiting for the test result. Thus he was allowed entry,” the mayor added. (TDT)
