The Quezon City police chief resigned Wednesday over accusations that he gave special treatment to an ex-cop who beaned a cyclist and poked a gun at him, even as video of another road rage incident—this one involving an active-duty policeman and a soldier—began circulating online.
The chief of police of Mandaluyong City, meanwhile, was relieved from his post after testing positive for illegal drugs.
Quezon City Police District chief Nicolas Torre III said he submitted his resignation to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Accorda Jr. “to spare the PNP from any other [issue].”
His resignation will take effect on Aug. 31.
“I really regret that press conference. I apologize to the Filipino people for those actions because those are decisions made in a very short span of time,” he told TeleRadyo Serbisyo, referring to a media briefing at Camp Karingal in which he presented Wilfredo Gonzales, who was caught on video hitting and threatening a cyclist at the Welcome Rotonda area on Aug. 25.
Torre apologized for organizing the press conference and allowing Gonzales to air his side.
On Aug. 29, the QCPD filed a complaint of alarm and scandal against Gonzales, a much less serious charge than grave threat or attempted homicide, which Torre said would require the cyclist to come forward.
It was unclear if more charges would be filed against him.
The PNP has stripped Gonzales of his firearm license and the Land Transportation Office has suspended his driver’s license.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed that Gonzales was an employee, but he was immediately terminated after the incident.
The Court said Gonzales was a coterminous employee at the Office of Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario.
“Justice Rosario does not condone any form of violence or abusive behavior,” the Court said in a statement.
Police said Gonzales was dismissed from the PNP in June 2018 for grave misconduct.
Gonzales surrendered to authorities on Sunday after the video of the incident went viral. He said he and the cyclist had settled the matter and had come to an agreement, but the cyclist’s lawyer said the deal was forced.
Accorda said he would meet with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. And Mayor Joy Belmonte to discuss Torre’s resignation.
He added that he would meet with Belmonte to discuss their next move, as Torre’s resignation would affect the QCPD’s operations.
Belmonte was reportedly outraged at the QCPD for giving Gonzales a platform to air his side, instead of arresting him.
Acorda welcomed Torre’s resignation as a gesture of “delicadeza” (doing the right thing).
“That’s what we need from the police, the delicadeza and anyway things will come out after the investigation as to what the truth is because he (Torre) explained to me his side and to some extent there is merit in what he says. But of course I respect his decision,” he said.
Torre earlier dismissed allegations that the QCPD gave special treatment to Gonzales during his supposed settlement with the cyclist, saying his personnel “acted professionally”.
In a phone interview, Torre said he wanted to shield QCPD from “further brickbats and backlash.”
Metro Manila top cop Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said an officer-in-charge (OIC) would be assigned to the QCPD for the meantime.
Meanwhile, Col Cesar Gerente, police chief of Mandaluyong City, was relieved from his post after testing positive for illegal drugs in a random test with top officials of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Aug. 24. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)
Col. Mary Grace Madayag replaced Gerente as the city’s acting chief of police.
Gerente has been assigned to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Section under the Regional Personnel and Records Management Division of NCRPO for further investigation on administrative charges.
Nartatez said random drug testing seeks to weed out drug-using police officers within their ranks.
“I will not tolerate scalawags in NCRPO, especially those who are involved in illegal drug activities,” he said.
Following the Gonzales incident, another road rage began circulating on social media, this time involving an active policeman and a military intelligence officer.
A video captured the violent altercation between two men, with one of them holding a gun, at 7:20 a.m. on Aug. 25 along Osmeña Highway in Makati City.
The Southern Police District said the case involves Police Staff Sergeant (PSSg) Marsan Dolipas and Angelito Rencio, said to be a member of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
A heated argument ensued after Rencio’s motorcycle side-swiped Dolipas’s vehicle. Rencio refused to apologize and insulted Dolipas.
“Dolipas alighted from his vehicle and confronted Rencio. Upon seeing a gun tucked on Rencio’s waist Dolipas identified himself as a police officer and took the gun and subdued Rencio as a precautionary measure,” the SPD report said.
The two were brought to Makati City Police Substation 3 for questioning.
“The SPD and the Makati City Police Station are conducting an impartial investigation pending the filing of administrative cases to the desk officer on duty and Substation 3 Commander. Complaints will also be filed against Angelito Rencio upon completion of the pertinent documents to include verification of the firearm,” said SPD director Brig. Gen. Roderick Mariano.
Mariano urged the public to avoid making hasty judgments solely based on a video clip.
“It is imperative to seek a comprehensive understanding of the entire incident, including the events that transpired before and after the video was taken. As a law enforcement agency, we are committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to gather all relevant facts and establish an accurate sequence of events,” he said.
A ranking official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) expressed apprehension over the string of incidents involving alleged police abuses.
“The string of recent events pertaining to police officers abusing their authority in the past few weeks could be indicative of the fact that the problem is systematic,” Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Caloocan said.
The bishop was a vocal critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs and is a known defender of its victims.
At the recent funeral of Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar, a 17-year-old boy killed by the police due to a supposed mistaken identity, he reminded the cops of their sworn duty as law enforcers.
“Our dear cops, you are not the law. You are mere enforcers of the law,” said David, who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
“You were not given uniforms, armed, and being paid from the country’s taxes just to kill people, but rather serve as our protector and savior of the country you are serving,” he said.
Also on Wednesday Senator Pia Cayetano and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri jointly filed a resolution to call on the Senate to probe the viral road rage incident in Quezon City involving a dismissed policeman and an unarmed cyclist.
In Senate Resolution No. 763, the two senators asserted that the incident involves public order and safety, which is an important concern for everyone.
They also noted that the incident touches on road sharing, a concept that they said is often ignored by motorists.
They added that under this concept, all Filipinos have an equal right to access public roads–including pedestrians, commuters, cyclists, motorcycle riders, and motorists.
