MANILA, Philippines—Despite the Philippine National Police’s constant reminder to its men not to use their guns for merry-making, four cops were arrested and one was charged for illegal discharge of firearm during holiday revelries.
Two Manila policemen and a police officer each in Calabarzon and Davao Regions were taken into the custody of the police units to which they are assigned after they fired their guns on New Year’s Day.
Aside from the four, other civilians were also arrested for indiscriminate firing including four security guards and four civilians.
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor, PNP Public Information Office chief and spokesperson, identified the arrested police officers.
Manila Police District’s Police Officer 2 Bouchard Ramos and PO2 Argel Ballicud were separately arrested in Metro Manila.
Mayor said Ramos was arrested by barangay (village) officials of Barangay 60, Zone 4 in Peñalosa Street, Tondo district.
Few kilometers away from Tondo, Ballicud, assigned at Ermita Station was nabbed at Barangay 290, Zone 27 in Binondo, also in Manila, by his colleagues in Meisic Police Station.
In Rizal, citizens arrested PO1 Christian Agbuya, assigned at Rizal Philippine Public Safety College, in Barangay Ampid 1 in San Mateo municipality.
Also, PO1 Jhoy Velasco was also caught for firing his service firearm at the height of the New Year’s celebration in Davao.
Meanwhile in Quezon City, Batasan policeman PO2 Romel Mitra was apprehended by officers of Novaliches Police Station last Sunday, December 28 after a concerned citizen reported the incident to the police.
Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao, Quezon City Police District Director, said in a statement that Mitra allegedly fired his gun upward in the middle of a drinking spree on No. 85 Sauyo Road in Novaliches.
On Friday, a case of alarm and scandal was filed against Mitra before the Office of Quezon City Assistant Prosecutor. An administrative case for Grave Misconduc against him is now under pre-Charge.
In an earlier radio interview, PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina vowed to dismiss the arrested suspects and file both administrative and criminal charges against them.
“I am personally looking into these cases because this is a breach of discipline. I am very strict about discipline,” Espina said.
All 150,000 policemen were ordered by Espina to comply with the taping of their service firearms which was made in a simultaneous ceremony in all police units nationwide on December 22.
A day after New Year, policemen also removed the masking tape on their guns in the simultaneous unmasking of firearms.
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