Map of Makati City
MANILA, Philippines — The Southern Police District (SPD) has started investigating the circumstances surrounding the August 25 road altercation, which was caught on video that recently went viral, between a policeman and an alleged retired soldier on Osmeña Highway, Barangay Pio Del Pilar in Makati City.
In a report on Wednesday, SPD identified the two individuals as Police Staff Sergeant Marsan Dolipas, who was onboard his vehicle, and Angelito Rencio, a motorcycle rider who introduced himself as a retired Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) member.
Police said the two were caught in a traffic altercation after Rencio hurled invectives at Dolipas while raising his middle finger. Insulted by Rencio’s gesture, the police officer alighted his vehicle and confronted the alleged retired soldier, who was purportedly carrying an unlicensed gun.
As seen in the viral video, Dolipas pinned down Rencio “as a precautionary measure” after seeing the latter pull out his gun.
Dolipas then sought the assistance of Makati City Police Substation 3, where responding personnel brought them both for questioning. Upon surrendering his gun, Rencio sought the permission of the station’s desk officer to retrieve his firearm’s documents at home, which led to his escape.
Consequently, the substation commander, Police Captain Edison Mabaet and desk officer staff sergeant Raynard Matabang were relieved from their posts, according to SPD chief public information officer Police Major Hazel Asilo, for letting Rencio leave.
“Pending yung admin case nila may ongoing investigation regarding sa incident na nangyari na hindi nasunod ang protocol na supposed to be ginawa nila. Hindi nai-blotter yung incident and hindi rin nainform yung police chief regarding sa incident,” Asilo told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
(Their admin case is pending amid an ongoing investigation regarding the incident. The suspect’s escape happened because they failed to follow protocol. The incident was not blotted, and the police chief was also not informed about it.)
She added that SPD has yet to confirm whether Rencio was indeed a retired member of ISAFP or just posing as one, adding that complaints will also be filed against him after authorities complete the documents relevant to verifying his gun registration.
SPD said it has already coordinated with the Makati City Police Station to conduct an impartial investigation pending the filing of administrative cases against officers responsible for Rencio’s escape.
It likewise appealed to the public to refrain from making hasty judgments based on a video clip.
“It is imperative to seek a comprehensive understanding of the entire incident, including the events that transpired before and after the video was taken,” SPD said in a statement.
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