Charges were filed Thursday against Senior Police Officer 2 Ricardo Pascua, the police officer who did not yield to the convoy of President Benigno Aquino III in Quezon City on Tuesday.
Pascua, who was accosted by the Presidential Security Group and had since sought Aquino’s forgiveness, was charged with driving without a license, according to his superior in the Quezon City Police District.
Administrative charges for illegally installing a siren in a private vehicle and using an unauthorized license plate were earlier filed against Pascua, said QCPD director Chief Supt. Mario de la Vega.
Asked why he still deemed it necessary to file a criminal case instead of just slapping Pascua with a traffic violation ticket, the QCPD chief said “the prosecutor would be in the best position to determine if there’s probable cause. We just made the recommendation.”
De la Vega denied speculations that he was pressured by the PSG to go hard on the man. “There was no pressure from anyone. We just do what is expected from our job.”
“Let this case be a reminder and a lesson to all policemen,” De la Vega said. “You cannot abuse your (power) and use your badge as your license to drive, because criminal charges could be filed against you if you violate traffic laws.”
He noted that Pascua had been investigated twice for grave misconduct. In one case handled by the National Police Commission, he was found guilty but was later reinstated after Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa approved his appeal.
The second case was still pending in the QCPD, De la Vega said.
Pascua, who was then in civilian clothes and driving a Mitsubishi Adventure van on Commonwealth Avenue, maintained that he didn’t know that he was blocking the path of the presidential convoy because there was no siren (wang-wang).
Since his first day in office, the President has banned the use of sirens in government vehicles unless these are responding to emergencies.