Councilors get back at Manila cops

Twenty-two Manila policemen, including their district chief, are being accused of grave misconduct and abuse of authority by a group of city councilors in complaints set to be filed in the National Police Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The complainants—Councilors Raymundo Yupangco, Richard Ibay, Cristina Isip and Rafael Borromeo—also want Manila Police District director Chief Supt. Alejandro Gutierrez, MPD-Ermita station commander Supt. Ferdinand Quirante and the other respondents placed under preventive suspension.

The complaints stemmed from Wednesday night’s incident in Paco wherein Quirante and his men stopped a gathering organized by the councilors, who are known supporters of former president and now Manila mayoral candidate Joseph Estrada.

Quirante, who said he sent his men to the area following complaints from some residents, cited the councilors for violating a city ordinance against noise pollution, blocking traffic and failing to secure a permit for the assembly.

The police also confiscated the bin or tambiolo then being used for a raffle and ordered the people to leave.

Quirante said the people dispersed peacefully, but a councilor said a scuffle erupted and hurt Isip and Yupangco.

In their affidavits, copies of which were obtained by the Inquirer on Saturday, the councilors said the policemen were not in uniform and pretended to be civilians before disrupting the event, in violation of the Philippine National Police operations manual. Nancy C. Carvajal