Cop relieved for refusing to give way to Aquino convoy

President Benigno Aquino III: Slammed

MANILA, Philippines—A Quezon City Police District police was relieved after he refused to give way to President Benigno Aquino’s convoy along Commonwealth Avenue Tuesday, police said.

Senior Police Officer 2 Ricardo Pascua was relieved after refusing to yield the right of way to the presidential convoy, said SPO1 Randy Flores of QCPD station 4.

Aquino was on his way to the La Mesa Dam Portal in Quezon City where Aquino would lead the inauguration of the second phase of the Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project when the incident happened.

Members of the Presidential Security Group signaled Pascua, who was off duty and driving his red Tamaraw FX, to yield but he refused.

Edwin Lacierda, the spokesman of Aquino, said Pascua was “quite arrogant” when he insisted on making a U-turn along Commonwealth Avenue near the House of Representatives as the presidential convoy was traveling towards Fairview.

Motorcycle cops escorting the presidential convoy had stopped Pascual but he flashed them his police badge, apparently intent on making a left at the U-turn slot.

“We leave the administrative supervision of that policeman to the QC police department,” Lacierda told reporters.

Pascua is assigned to QCPD station 4, but is reporting to a different office in Camp Karingal, said Flores.

Brigadier General Ramon Mateo Dizon, chief of the Presidential Security Group, said the incident happened at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday and that Pascua’s vehicle was about two cars away from that of Aquino.

Dizon said that it was up to the Philippine National Police to determine what administrative violation Pascua committed but he noted that in the military, what the policeman did was “gross disrespect to the Commander-in-Chief” for not wanting to yield.

Aquino has refused to use sirens during his land trips to drum up his campaign against graft and corruption. With a report from Christine O. Avendaño, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Originally posted at 04:17 pm | Tuesday, July 17, 2012