2 witnesses say brothers in viral video provoked cop

Manuel Taytayon

PO2 Manuel Taytayon may have already been judged by netizens as an arrogant gun-toting police officer, but two eyewitnesses are claiming otherwise.

In their affidavits obtained by the Inquirer, Ruford dela Rosa and Alexander Tolosa disproved the claims of Ralph Davenz Altea and his 17-year-old brother.

Altea and his brother earlier filed a complaint against the police officer, accusing Taytayon of child abuse. Both claimed he cursed them and pointed a gun at them during a road rage altercation on Apelo Cruz Street in Pasay City on July 26.

A video of the incident, which has gone viral, showed the two parties trading invectives.

Taytayon, a member of the Southern Police District’s (SPD) intelligence division, has filed a countersuit against the brothers. He has since been relieved by the National Capital Region Police Office.

Tolosa, a resident of Pasay City, said that he witnessed the July 26 incident, adding that when Taytayon alighted from his car to approach the brothers, Altea swore at him: “P**** ka. T*****do.”

The brothers, he claimed, were also provoking Taytayon, with the elder Altea telling him, “Ano ha? T****do ka. Sisikat ka na. T***a (What now? I’ll make you famous),” while continuing to video the encounter.

Tolosa said that when Taytayon tried to return to his car, the brothers stopped him and told him: “Wait for the policemen. T****do.”

On the other hand, Dela Rosa, a resident of San Pedro, Laguna, said he was in Pasay City to visit his girlfriend when he saw the commotion.

In his affidavit, he said when Taytayon’s wife went out of their car and tried to stop the altercation between her husband and the brothers, the elder Altea “harassed the old woman and cussed her for helping [Taytayon].”

Both of the witnesses also claimed they did not see Taytayon point his gun at the Alteas, contrary to their post on Facebook.

The affidavits of Dela Rosa and Tolosa were attached to the cyberbullying and cyberlibel complaint filed by Taytayon on Friday in the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office against the Alteas.

Meanwhile, a new viral video has surfaced online, showing Taytayon in sports clothes shooing away and swearing at bikers at the promenade area of a mall in Pasay City.

The person who posted the video, identified as Matt Bague, said that they were taking pictures in the area when the man called them names and tried to drive them away.

Supt. Jenny Tecson, SPD spokesperson, confirmed that the man was Taytayon. She said the new video would also be used in the investigation against him. The 54-year-old policeman is set to retire in December 2018.