GMA-7 files case vs Lapu police
Three police officers of Lapu-Lapu City are in hot water for failing to come to the aid of two broadcast journalists who were mauled by three Koreans last Feb. 11.
GMA-7 news reporter Bexmae Jumao-as and cameraman Leofil “Bruce” Labastida yesterday lodged the complaints for serious neglect of duty and gross incompetence against the policemen before the Investigative Division of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO).
Separate criminal complaints will likewise be filed against the Koreans who are yet to be identified.
The GMA news team was in the LCPO to follow up a story on Hyun Chul Hwang, a suspect in the death of Whenvy Noel in a Lapu-Lapu City hotel last Feb. 9. Hyun tried to commit suicide and is recuperating in a Cebu City hospital.
Named respondents in the administrative complaint were Senior Insp. Zenaido Pastorfide, chief of the Homicide Section of LCPO, SPO4 Edgar Alcantara Sagarino and PO2 Jacklord Pugoy.
Jumao-as recounted that while they were inside the police station, she saw three female Koreans and asked if they were related to the suspect.
A certain John Lee who identified himself as the general manager of the Cebu Korean Association told Jumao-as that they won’t allow any interview and that the Korean Embassy will issue the necessary statement.
While talking with Lee, Jumao-as told Labastida to roll the video. She said one of the female Koreans reacted violently and demanded that the video be deleted.
When they went out of the office, Lee allegedly confronted Jumao-as and demanded to see her cell phone, thinking that photos of him were taken using the gadget. Jumao-as said she insisted that no video was taken using her cell phone.
While they were on their way to the parking area, “The Korean nationals violently collared us and grabbed us by the necks while we tried to hold on to the camera,” the two journalists narrated in their complaint.
“We tried to explain that we only took shots of the building. However, despite our efforts to explain, the most elderly Korean lady of the group tried to grab the camera,” the two journalists said.
The commotion was caught on camera by a bystander whose photos were attached by the two journalists in their complaints.
Jumao-as said PO2 Pugoy saw what happened but the latter allegedly never helped them.
She added SPO4 Alcantara suddenly grabbed their camera and brought it inside the Homicide Section of LCPO. The two journalists noted that Sagarino seized the camera without a warrant or any other legal basis.
“We tried to tell them that they have no right over the camera but it fell on deaf ears,” the journalists said. They said Pastorfide, the head of the Homicide Section, also did nothing to help them.
They said one of the policemen even asked them to delete the videos to avoid trouble.
“Due to the fact that we cannot leave the place without the camera worth a million pesos and sensing that we cannot expect any protection from the police officers then present, we were left with no other choice but to delete the video contents of the camera,” the journalists said.
Suzanne Salva-Alueta, program manager of GMA Cebu News and Public Affairs, said they could not just let the incident pass without a penalty imposed against the respondents.
“We can’t sit on it. Apparently, our rights were violated as we stand firm on our claim that we didn’t commit any violation when our team went there to pursue a story,” she said in an interview yesterday.
Alueta expressed dismay over the failure of the policemen to secure Jumao-as and Labastida from the angry Koreans.
“We thought we were safe because we were within the police headquarters. We’re not asking for any special treatment as mediamen. But look, our team got mobbed yet these police officers did nothing to protect the two of them (Jumao-as and Labastida),” she said.
In filing the complaint, Alueta said they have nothing personal against the respondents who ought to do their responsibilties.
“We’re just seeking redress. This incident can become a precedent if we let this pass,” she said.
