Screengrab from Tuesday’s Senate hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) allegedly refused to arrest former policeman Wilfredo Gonzales because no gun was supposedly found in his possession when they responded to the road altercation last August 8.
Cyclist Allan Bandiola faced senators investigating the road rage case on Tuesday and told them police found no evidence of a gun from the dismissed police officer.
READ: In line of ire: Viral road rage probe sought in Senate
“Sabi ni [Police officer] Adan ay hindi [nila] pwedeng arestuhin si Ginoong Gonzales [dahil] wala naman [silang] nakitang baril. Ganito na lang, sabi nya, tatawag tayo sa traffic sector para maayos ito at magawan ng incident report,” Bandiola said during the hearing conducted by the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.
(Police officer Adan said they could not arrest Mr. Gonzales because they did not find a gun. He said we’ll call the traffic sector to deal with it and make an incident report.)
An apparently irked Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa told Bandiola that he could have insisted to the police officer that Gonzales had a gun.
“Dapat sinumbong mo. [Dapat sinabi mong] may baril ‘yan at kinasahan ka.”
(You should have told the police officer that Gonzales has a gun and that it was pulled out as if to threaten you.)
This video grab from YouTube shows cyclist Allan Bandiola (foreground) and dismissed policeman Wilfredo Gonzales.
Bandiola told the senator that he indeed reiterated to the police officer that Gonzales was carrying a gun at the time of their road run-in. However, he added, the police officer maintained that Gonzales could not be arrested because they did not find the gun.
Bandiola and Gonzales figured in a road altercation last month. A video of their confrontation went viral on social media, especially since it showed Gonzales hitting Bandiola and then pulling out a gun as if to threaten the cyclist.
Later in the hearing, Gonzales admitted that he surrendered his gun at the Galas Police Station after the case’s lead investigator asked him to do so.
“Noong nasa Galas police station po kami, hinanap ng imbestigador ang papeles ko. Nilabas ko ang [mga papeles]. Tinaggalan ko ng bala ang baril at binigay ko sa imbestigador. Ganon po ako kadaling nag-turn in ng baril ko,” said Gonzales.
(When we were at the Galas police station, the investigator looked for my papers. I took out the [papers]. I removed the bullet from the gun and gave it to the investigator. That’s how easily I turned in my gun.)
Police Firearms and Explosives Office chief Brig. Gen. Paul Kenneth Lucas said the Philippine National Police immediately revoked Gonzales’ License To Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) after the footage of the road rage case went viral on social media.
“When we saw the video that came out, immediately thereafter, we revoked Gonzales’ LTOPF, which consists of four firearms. Three caliber 45 and 1 caliber 9mm,” Lucas said.
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