'Insensitive' to hold parties in time of pandemic — Justice Leonen
MANILA, Philippines — Holding parties when community quarantine protocols are in place to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus is insensitive, said Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, commander of Metro Manila police, is under investigation for his birthday feast held last week with his troops at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
Police Gen. Archie Gamboa, chief PNP, earlier said it was a “surprise birthday serenade” and not a party.
While Leonen did not make a directed reference to the incident, he wrote on a tweet Wednesday: “Parties are mass gatherings. It is insensitive to hold one.”
The SC magistrate recalled that the high court opted to hold a retirement ceremony of Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. recently through videoconferencing.
This was also the first time in the SC’s history that it celebrated the retirement of an SC justice online.
Leonen noted that Reyes served the Judiciary for 40 years, and “he deserves more but we had to do what was ethical while our people suffer.”
He earlier said that the members of the SC wore green, Reyes’ color, as it was “difficult to retrieve our robes from our chambers in the Court.”
PNP probe
While Gamboa initially defended Sinas’ birthday feast, he ordered PNP’s Internal Affairs Servies to look into the event on Wednesday morning.
The police chief earlier said health safety protocols were followed in the event such as physical distancing and wearing of face masks.
But photos of the event showed people lining up for a buffet and a band was also playing. A social media user estimated the number of attendees at 50, when mass gathering is banned to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Sinas has since apologized for “what transpired during my birthday that caused anxiety to the public.” — Kristine Joy Patag
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