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MANILA, Philippines — “That’s a very stupid and very irresponsible insinuation. That’s not true.”
Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, District Director of Quezon City Police District (QCPD) issued the statement denying the claims that they tried to block attempts of cyclist AB (name withheld) to file a case against a car owner who pulled out a handgun over a road rage incident near Mabuhay Rotonda in Quezon City.
The incident was caught on video that went viral on social media over the weekend.
Torre confirmed that the car owner, a retired policeman identified as Willy Gonzales, harassed the cyclist.
“Kung ganyan akong klaseng pulis hindi ako maghe-heneral,” Torre said when asked over Radyo 630 on Monday whether there is truth in their supposed attempts to block the filing of case against Gonzales.
(If I were that kind of police officer, I wouldn’t be a general.)
“Napaka bobo naman [kung] gagawin ng isang pulis ‘yan at naka record pa. That’s very unbecoming for a police officer to insinuate that a complainant will not file a case against a person,” he went on.
(It would be very stupid [if] a police officer would do that and it’s still on record. That’s very unbecoming for a police officer to insinuate that a complainant will not file a case against a person.)
Torre also stressed that 63-year-old retired cop Gonzales “does not have anything to offer” him to the point that he will neglect his sworn duty.
“We are going to reach out today with Attorney Raymond Fortun, [legal counsel of the cyclist] para makuha ang statement ng kanyang kliyente para ma-file namin ang kaso against Gonzales,” Torre said.
(We are going to contact today Attorney Raymund Fortun, [legal counsel of the cyclist] to get his client’s statement so we can file the case against Gonzales.)
Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Facebook on Monday, Fortun insisted that police officers took his client to the police station after the incident transpired on August 8.
“There he was forced to sign an agreement that they had agreed upon and he admitted that he was at fault. Not only that – he even paid P500 because he scratched the ex-policeman’s car,” said Fortun.
The legal counsel likewise claimed that the uploader of the viral video was likewise threatened by police.
“There can be no criminal case without the cooperation of the victim. But that does not mean that we, the public, are left helpless,” said Fortun.
He added that out of “pure civic duty for the good of the country,” he will continue to file the following within this week:
- A complaint with the Land Transportation Office for the suspension or revocation of the driver’s license of Gonzales for driving in a reckless manner that threatened the life of AB;
- A complaint with the Firearms and License Office at Camp Crame, for the revocation of any and all gun licenses issued to Gonzales
- A complaint for conduct unbecoming of a public official under R.A. 6713 if Gonzales is still connected with the government in any manner