Debold Sinas said some of the photos circulating on social media were ‘grabbed from old posts’. Photo: Twitter
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https://scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3084223/coronavirus-philippine-police-official-sorry-birthday Southeast Asia
Coronavirus: Philippine police official sorry for birthday celebration held during lockdown
- Debold Sinas said his junior staff had planned the surprise bash for him, which included a birthday cake and a traditional early-morning serenade
- A government official called the event ‘a big no-no’ and said Sinas should have stopped the celebration immediately when it happened
Debold Sinas blows out a candle during his surprise birthday party. Photo: Twitter
The police chief of the Philippine capital on Wednesday apologised for a birthday party held amid a lockdown aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus.
Debold Sinas, head of the Metro Manila police force, said his subordinates had thrown him a surprise celebration on the eve of his birthday, May 8, on their own accord.
Photos circulating on Facebook showed Sinas blowing out a candle on a cake held by someone wearing a mask, and sharing a table with other men not wearing masks. None of the people appeared to be practising social distancing.
The traditional celebration included an early-morning serenade by his officers.
In other photos, Sinas was seen receiving flowers and a cap, while guests stood next to each other to collect food from a buffet table.
Sinas claimed some of the photos “were edited and grabbed from old posts”, and did not “depict the totality of what really happened”.
“Nevertheless, I apologise for what transpired during my birthday that caused anxiety to the public,” he said in a statement. “It was never my intention to disobey any existing protocols relative to the implementation of enhanced community quarantine.”
National police chief Archie Gamboa ordered an investigation into the birthday party and reminded all personnel to strictly observe all public health protocols and biosafety standards at all times.
“The national police is not exempt from strict rules on mass gatherings and I am directing all unit commanders to prohibit any and all social gatherings,” he said in a statement.
Eduardo Año, Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, on Wednesday called the birthday bash “a big no-no” and said even if the event had been a surprise, Sinas should have stopped it “right there and then”.
On Wednesday, the Philippines recorded 11,618 cases of the coronavirus and 772 virus-related deaths, according to the Department of Health.
The Philippine police force has reported about 160 coronavirus cases among its members, including four deaths, local media reported.