Sinas denies holding Christmas party

December 28, 2020

The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday denied holding a Christmas party which was tagged as “mañanita 2”.

General Debold Sinas made the statement after a video of him dancing in a party circulated online.

According to those who shared the video, Sinas held a Christmas party even after Interior Secretary Eduardo Año ordered no parties during the holiday season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That is negative. That is fake news,” Sinas said in a press briefing.

Sinas said the video that is circulating online came from a retirement party in Tuguegarao held last January.

“That is retirement (party). We don’t have Christmas Party. Maybe there are some people who have nothing to do,” he said.

When he was the regional director of National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Sinas became controversial after he held a birthday party last May when the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which strictly prohibits social gatherings,  was in force in Metro Manila.

The Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service filed criminal complaints against Sinas and 18 of his police officers before the Taguig City Prosecutor's Office over the incident.

Sinas apologized and President Rodrigo Duterte also defended him saying it is not his fault if his personnel wanted to hold a mañanita. Ella Dionisio/DMS