Napolcom sacks female official berating cops on viral video

Posted by Mike Almanza on Monday, October 26, 2015

The National Police Commission (Napolcom) sacked on Wednesday the female official who was caught on video berating policemen and a village officer in Bacoor, Cavite.

Ana Marie Paglinawan, acting chief of the Napolcom-National Capital Region administrative division, has been ordered relieved after a video of her altercation with two police officers and Panapaan VII village officer Mike Almanza went viral on social media.

In the video, Paglinawan was seen hurling invectives at Almanza who was filming her as she berated two cops in Justinville Subdivision on Wednesday morning.

Almanza, in a Facebook post, said Paglinawan came to the rescue of a relative, who Almanza said was reported to the police by Justinville residents for causing public disturbance.

Paglinawan questioned the presence of cops in the area, demanding them to present to her their IDs and police badge.

Paglinwan then phoned a “colonel” and complained: “Eto nangha-harass dito mga tao mo eh (Your personnel are harassing people here).”

Seeing Almanza taking a video of the incident, Paglinawan accosted him and pushed his wife, who was carrying their one-year-old child.

She then took Almanza’s cellphone, threw it away as she said: “Wala kayong karapatang mag-video sa akin. Opisyal ako! (You have no right to take a video of me. I’m an official!)”

Almanza uploaded the video on Facebook. As of latest, it has 2.3 million views.

Aside from the relief of Paglinawan, Napolcom vice chairman and executive officer Eduardo Escueta also ordered the creation of a team to probe the incident.

“We want to assure the public that the Commission shall not tolerate any wrongdoing committed by its officials and employees that may taint the good image of the Napolcom,” Escueta said.

He also emphasized that the Commission remains “steadfast in preserving the integrity of Napolcom and will always take appropriate action against anyone who may try to tarnish the image of the Napolcom by committing acts inappropriate of a public official.”