Well-meaning man sorry for tagging wrong cops

THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK A post on his wife’s Facebook account had Rommel Dalozo issuing a public apology soon after. —JAM STA ROSA

A man whose viral post on social media about a policeman who allegedly stole the rice cakes (puto) of a vendor has publicly apologized for wrongfully identifying the suspect as a member of the Caloocan City police.

Rommel Dalozo, however, stood firm on his accusation that it was indeed a lawman who took the goods of Crisanto Francisco, who has a disability.

Using the Facebook account of his wife, Dalozo posted on Nov. 3 that a man wearing a police uniform took the P200 worth of rice cakes that Francisco was selling for the day on Sta. Quiteria Road, Barangay 162, Caloocan City.

Unidentified policeman

Dalozo, a resident of the city, said that the unidentified police officer, whom he tagged as someone from the Sta. Quiteria police station, refused to pay Francisco.

“Crisanto doesn’t mind selling puto day in and day out, just to earn a little money. But a heartless policeman chose to maltreat him,” went his post which was shared 103,000 times.

The Caloocan police, upon the order of Northern Police District director, Chief Supt. Gregorio Noto Lim, launched an investigation on Nov. 4 to find the policeman concerned.

Their search led them to Barangay 47, where Francisco, a widower, resided with his two children.

The puto vendor told the police investigators that while he was certain that it was a policeman on a motorcycle who took his goods without paying, he could not remember what the suspect looked like.

Francisco was also shown several patches used by the Caloocan City police on their uniforms but again, he could not identify which one was worn by the suspect.

During a dialogue with authorities, Dalozo confirmed that he wrote the post but said he failed to verify whether the suspect was indeed a member of the Sta. Quiteria police station.

He admitted that his post might have “damaged the dignity and integrity” of the Caloocan police.

Clarification

On Nov. 4, Dalozo posted an apology on his wife’s Facebook account.

“Regarding my post on Nov. 3 about puto vendor Mr. Crisanto Francisco, for clarification, it is true that a policeman refused to pay for the rice cakes he took from him, but Mr. Crisanto could no longer remember the policeman’s face or name,” he said.

“I apologize especially to police officers from Sta. Quiteria station who [were mentioned] in the viral post. To the officer who abused the puto vendor, may you treat this as Mr. Crisanto’s Christmas gift to you,” he added.