"What is happening with our PNP officials?"
"What is happening with our PNP officials?"
It’s a shame that just as this administration, which I fully support, affirms its commitment to upholding press freedom, free speech and freedom of information, some Metro Manila police officials have the propensity to prove otherwise.
The latest attack on the media occurred last Thursday during the height of the 2020 Traslacion of the Black Nazarene on the way back to its shrine at the Minor Basilica in Quiapo, Manila. It was one of the tense moments when the phalanx of policemen kept at bay a multitude of devotees at bay, preventing them to get near the andas.
At one point, a group of policemen were dragging a male devotee. This caught the attention of broadcast journalist Jun Veneracion of GMA7, who instinctively held up his cellphone camera and recorded the ongoing incident.
Just as cops pinned the defenseless man to the ground, suddenly the phone got yanked by Brig. Gen. Nolasco Bathan, chief of the Southern Police District (SPD), which covers Makati, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Taguig, and Pateros.
Apparently, Bathan wanted to cover up the violent handling of the man and Veneracion did not recover his cellphone before the video was deleted. He had to introduce himself to Bathan and the police although it was obvious by the ID he was wearing that he is a mediaman.
Fortunately, the intricate features of his cellphone enabled him to retrieve the video which showed the cops taking down the man to the ground. And then, the video appeared like the phone shook for a few seconds, then recorded the walking legs of what looked like a policeman’s pleated blue pants and black shoes, and then the footage turned black.
The phone started recording again, showing the same police attire, and then recorded a voice: “Burahin mo, burahin mo. Kuha ni Jun Veneracion. P*tangina nagku-kwan eh.”
Bathan would later apologize publicly through media interviews, he was caught in the chaos and got tired and he “lost his cool.”
Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año did not approve of Bathan’s abusive behavior.
He should be charged with robbery even if Veneracion retrieved his cellphone after Bathan’s men deleted pictures in it.
Well, proving to be as notorious as his NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, former Pasay Police chief Bathan had figured in a number of controversies including the alleged torture and extra-judicial killing of drug suspects father-and-son Renato and JP Bertes inside the Pasay City Jail.
He earned his stars during his stint in CALABARZON during which time illegal gambling proliferated in the region, as does now in Metro Manila.
The incident is the latest in a series of “anti-media” actions NCRPO officials figured in since Sinas was designated NCRPO chief by PNP Officer-in-Charge General Archie Gamboa.
Sinas attacked a female GMA7 television newscaster who tried to interview him during the course of the ocular at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park, during preparations for the Traslacion. The TV reporter was among the group of PNP beat reporters invited to accompany ranking PNP officials to the event.
The first time she tried to get a sound bite from Sinas, the official stopped her from talking by arrogantly placing his hand on her mouth and saying, “Mamaya ka na (I’ll get to you later.).”
Minutes later, the reporter approached the official again. Instead of responding to her, the NCRPO chief went ballistic and grabbed her by the face, forcibly shoving his hand over her mouth, almost suffocating her. And then Sinas blurted, “Di ba sabi ko sa iyo mamaya na (Didn’t I tell you we’ll talk later?).”
Embarrassed and humiliated, the reporter abruptly left with her crew.
This has prompted widespread protests from the media sector led by the National Press Club (NPC), the oldest professional organization of journalists in the country. In a statement, NPC Vice President Paul Gutierrez condemned Sinas’ criminal behavior that constitute “abuse of a woman,” a conduct unbecoming of a public official.
What is happening with our PNP officials, Sec. Año?