Lawyer Raymond Fortun during a news forum in Kamuning Bakery, Quezon City. (INQUIRER file photo / NINO JESUS ORBETA)
MANILA, Philippines — The biker who figured in a confrontation with a gun-toting retired policeman is now scared about his safety and that of his family.
Lawyer Raymond Fortun said the biker’s fear was conveyed to him in his last exchange of text messages with the cyclist.
A retired policeman confronted the biker near Mabuhay Rotonda in Quezon City on August 8, armed with a cocked pistol.
“Inaalala nya ang kalagayan ng pamilya nya,” Fortun said about the biker in a Facebook post.
(He is worried about his family.)
“Natatakot siya na mapatay siya ng mga pulis na magpapanggap na ‘riding in tandem’ na mga killer.”
(He is afraid he will be killed by policemen, who will pretend to be “riding in tandem.”)
The car owner was identified by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) as Willy Gonzales.
Fortun said police reportedly forced the biker to sign a document stating that the matter had been settled.
Police denied Fortun’s allegation.
The counsel also said the vlogger who caught the confrontation on video and uploaded it on social media had received threats, prompting him to delete his post.
A screenshot shared by Fortun indicated that a Facebook user had warned the vlogger that his vehicle was recognized through CCTV footage.
“Pag nagkataon, dahil kumalat na ang video na ‘to, baka pati ikaw makasuhan,” the user had told the uploader.
(If it comes to that because this video has gone viral, you may also be charged.)
The identity of the person who warned the vlogger is being withheld.
Fortun is also asking for prayers.
“Please pray for my and my family’s safety. I will be dealing with people who have scared one vlogger and cyclist,” he said.
He believes he may also be exposed to the same danger.
“I expect nothing less. But your prayers will be my armor, and so I will not fear,” he said.
Fortun said in times like this when one’s courage is being tested, he remembers some quotes he had read when he was young.
“I recall these classic questions from that public school in Diliman that I came from: ‘In the face of oppression, kung hindi tayo kikibo, sinong kikibo? Kung di tayo kikilos, sinong kikilos?’” he said.
(If we do not act, who will take action? If we do not act, who will?)
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