MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed that the two so-called ‘kamote’ riders — or the motorcycle riders who were doing stunts on public roads — are indeed police officers assigned to the Central Luzon office.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said that P/Chief Mst. Sgt. Israel Bondoc and P/Mst. Sgt. Manuel Tolentino were identified as the two officers riding police-issued motorcycles recklessly in Zambales, as seen in now viral videos on social media.
“Let this serve as a warning that we will not tolerate this kind of misbehavior because as police officers, we should serve as the role models in abiding the laws that include traffic rules and regulations,” Eleazar said.
According to Eleazar, he has asked both the Regional Director of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-3) and the Highway Patrol Group to investigate the incident.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. INQUIRER PHOTO
“Kahapon ay nagbigay tayo ng kautusan para tukuyin ang pagkakakilanlan ng dalawang riders na nagpasikat sa isang highway sa Zambales. Kaagad namang nakilala ang dalawang ito at nakumpirma naming na sila nga ay mga pulis,” he said.
(Yesterday, we gave a directive to identify the two riders who were showboating along a highway in Zambales. We were able to identify the two immediately, and we can confirm that they are indeed police officers.)
According to Eleazar, several netizens also informed him by tagging him in the social media posts.
Eleazar warned that this misbehavior should set a precedent among police officers — that such activities would not be tolerated by the PNP.
There is a right place to do these stunts, Eleazar said, and it is not on public roads because they could endanger their lives and those of others.
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