Police release video showing Grab driver ‘assaulted’ cop in Taguig; driver’s camp says footage ‘misleading’

MANILA, Philippines — The Southern Police District (SPD) released on Friday footage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera to support its earlier claim that it was the Grab driver who assaulted a police officer along the driveway of a coffee shop in Taguig City.

A statement from SPD read that “the footage provided by a responsible citizen showed that the female Grab driver, Florence Norial, was the one who assaulted the customer, P/Capt. Ronald Saquilayan, assigned at Pateros MPS (Municipal Police Station) at around 7:20 PM on October 6, 2020.”

SPD director Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta said the Hyundai Accent carrying Norial was behind the vehicle of Saquilayan, who was waiting for his daughter buying at the coffee shop at the time of the incident.

“Miss Norial, wanting to get ahead, came out of her car and knock rudely on the window and told Saquilayan to move his vehicle,” SPD said in its statement.

“The cop politely told her that he was also a customer, but Norial insisting ordered the security guard to force Saquilayan but was refused. Again Norial, shouting on top of her voice, knocked on the windows of the cop’s vehicle and told him to leave,” police claimed.

Police said Saquilayan then asked a security guard for help and introduced himself as a police captain to Norial, but she “continued to berate him.”

“While returning to his car, Norial tried to shut his vehicle’s door and got budged by the door when finally opened by Saquilayan. Norial with her right hand hit Saquilayan in his head and ran towards the Starbucks store,” police added.

Saquilayan then arrested Norial and called for assistance from Substation 4 personnel, according to SPD.

SPD said the footage “tells the whole story contradicting all the crooked claims” of Norial that she was the one assaulted by the officer.

“And worst she maliciously used social media by posting her own footage while narrating different storylines to malign the cop Saquilayan and the whole Substation 4 personnel,” it added.

‘Misleading’ video

However, Norial’s boyfriend Mirza Miguel Shahzad said in a Facebook post that the footage presented by the police is “misleading.”

“Misleading ung audio, sa first vid you can see sinasabi wala pa raw 2min ung tagal ng park sa driveway pero it is on the 6min-mark of the first video. Also, sa part na natulak sya nung pinto ng Ford Ranger, niliko ung camera nung nagvivid. Kita nyo naman po nagheheadlights sya pero di po pinapansin,” he said.

(The audio is misleading. In the first video, they say that it has not been two minutes since the vehicle was parked in the driveway but it is still there on the 6-minute mark. Also, on the part where she was pushed by the door of the Ford Ranger, the camera was slanted. You can see that she was using her headlights but she was not given attention.)

He also posted a video of the incident from another angle, which he said shows Saquilayan “pushed Norial” first before she slapped the policeman.

“Sa second video, kita na tinulak sya before sya nanampal. Sa pagtulak gamit ng pinto kaya may sugat sya sa left elbow. Hindi po sya mauunang manakit unlike sa claims po ng nasabing pulis,” he added.

(In the second video, you can see she was pushed first before she slapped him. She was pushed through the door of the vehicle that’s why she had a wound in her left elbow. She didn’t attack first, unlike the claim of the policeman.)

Norial remains detained as of this posting, pending the resolution of the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office on her case. Shahzad questioned why there is no resolution released yet.

In a press conference, Saquilayan denied that Norial was denied her rights when she was arrested and said that “she had all the time” to call a lawyer.

Shahzad, however, narrated a different story.

SEE Shahzad Facebook post: https://web.facebook.com/mirza87/posts/4227193840631198

“Never po kami binigyan ng chance na magfile ng complaint sa umpisa, never din po kami binigyan ng abugado that night hanggang madaling araw,” he said.

(We were never given a chance to file a complaint at first or a chance to get a lawyer that night until midnight.) [ac]