Police general who seized GMA reporter’s phone during Traslacion promoted anew

MANILA, Philippines — In a span of just a week, the police general who grabbed a television reporter’s phone during this year’s Traslacion has again been promoted.

Brig. Gen. Nolasco Bathan was appointed as second in command of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), according to a reassignment order from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

He replaced Brig. Gen. Herminio Tadeo as the deputy regional director for administration. Tadeo was reassigned as the new director of the PNP Health Service.

Bathan, who was then the district director of the Southern Police District when the Traslacion incident happened, was promoted as the NCRPO’s deputy director for operations last Feb. 6.

READ: SPD chief is new NCRPO deputy chief for operations

Brig. Gen. Florendo Quibuyen was designated as Bathan’s replacement at the SPD.

The reassignments became on Friday, Feb. 14.

Bathan earlier got flak for grabbing the cellphone of veteran GMA reporter Jun Veneracion when he was documenting a commotion between police officers and devotees of the Black Nazarene during the Traslacion on Jan. 9.

A day after the incident, Bathan apologized for his action, insisting that it was “somehow a misunderstanding.”

Bathan also denied having ordered the deletion of the video of the commotion which was captured by Veneracion’s phone.

READ: SPD chief ‘sorry’ for taking phone, deleting video of GMA reporter

Edited by MUF