(FILE PHOTO) Former Vice President Jejomar Binay and PNP chief Lt. Gen. Debold Sinas
MANILA, Philippines — While wishing for the recovery of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Debold Sinas from his bout with COVID-19, former Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday also expressed his wish that the national police chief will also have a “deeper respect” for the value of life.
In a post on Twitter, Binay said he hoped Sinas will have an epiphany of sorts and put a stop to “senseless killings” allegedly perpetuated by police.
“I sincerely hope and pray that General Sinas will recover from Covid-19,” Binay said in a tweet.
I sincerely hope and pray that General Sinas will recover from Covid-19. And when he does, I pray he will have a deeper respect for the value of life, and why these senseless killings done by the PNP should stop. Isama na natin sa dasal ang iba pang govt. officials.
— Jejomar C. Binay (@JojoCBinay) March 12, 2021
“And when he does, I pray he will have a deeper respect for the value of life, and why these senseless killings done by the PNP should stop. Isama na natin sa dasal ang iba pang [government] officials,” the former Vice President added.
The PNP has recently been linked to various controversies such as the death of Calbayog City mayor Ronaldo Aquino—an incident that Sinas himself has initially claimed as a case of shootout between the mayor’s camp and the police authorities.
However, Samar Rep. Edgar Sarmiento, a close friend of Aquino, has likewise insisted that the mayor’s death was an “ambush” and not a shootout, citing witness accounts.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana, meanwhile, said that they are still validating whether the incident was an ambush or a shootout.
Nine activists also recently died in simultaneous police operations in Southern Luzon—which has since been dubbed as “Bloody Sunday.”
The PNP is also at the forefront of the Duterte administration’s controversial war against drugs that has claimed the lives of thousands of individuals.