Eleazar relieves another ‘viral’ Pasig policeman

Metro Manila Police Chief Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday ordered the relief of another Eastern Police District policeman who was caught on video beating an eight-year-old boy in Pasig City.

Staff Sergeant Nicolas Lapie Jr. grabbed the child by the neck and beat him while watching a basketball game at a covered court in Bambang village around 7:56 pm on Sunday.

The incident was caught on video and went viral on social media, just like what happened to Police Senior Master Sergeant Arnulfo Ardeles, also an EPD policeman, who was relieved for threatening to arrest a man for “disrespecting” him at an eatery in San Juan City.

“Just last Sunday, I ordered the relief of a policeman, P/SMS Arnulfo Ardales, who was caught on video showing him verbally abusing and harassing an ordinary citizen,” said Eleazar.

“As if this incident was not enough, the other night, a policeman from the Marikina City Police Station, P/SSgt Nicolas Lapie Jr., was caught in another video that has also gone viral. Worse, the video shows physical assault on an eight-year-old kid.”

Eleazar ordered the transfer of Ardeles to the National Capital Region Police Office”•Regional Headquarters Support Unit in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City, while Lapie was reassigned to the EPD-District Headquarters Support Unit.

Lapie, now detained in the Pasig City Police Station Custodial Cell, was charged with physical injury in relation with The Anti-Child Abuse Law.

“Both of them [Ardeles and Lapie] will be recommended to undergo a Values Formation seminar in Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority [SBMA],” Eleazar said. 

He also urged the families of both victims to file complaints against “these two abusive policemen. I also assured them that they and their families will be protected.”

“There is no room for abusive cops like these in the Philippine National Police. Time and again, our Chief PNP Oscar Albayalde and I have consistently shown our dismay against these scalawags in our midst, and always we have recommended punitive action,” Eleazar said.

“In our organization, among the first words that we learned are the words Service, Honor and Justice. In fact, we have a neat patch with those words stitched to our uniforms.” 

Lapie was the third EPD police officer ordered relieved by Eleazar in just two months for misconduct.

Eleazar also recently ordered the relief of EPD Police Chief Christopher Tambungan for allegedly assaulting female police officer April Santiago in front of a police community precinct in San Juan City on May 12. 

Tambungan hit Santiago in the head and deliberately opened his car door to hit her because Santiago failed to help him in a task.