Rizal cop sacked over incident with senior citizen in Taguig road crash
MANILA, Philippines — A Rizal province police officer was temporarily relieved from his post and placed under restrictive custody for arresting a senior citizen after a road crash in Taguig City.
The senior citizen and police officer earlier figured in a vehicular accident.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Rizal Provincial Police Office assured that it was conducting an investigation into the implicated police officer, whom it did not immediately name.
“As a quick course of action, the said personnel was temporarily relieved from his unit and placed under restrictive custody while the incident is being properly verified and reviewed,” the provincial police said.
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A video of the incident posted on social media showed the senior citizen being handcuffed and led to a police vehicle.
The video was posted on Tuesday night and has since garnered 3.1 million views and 28,000 shares as of posting time.
In its own statement, the Taguig City Police Station noted that the incident took place last Tuesday near the corner of Manuel L. Quezon Avenue and Mauling Creek in Barangay Bagumbayan.
“Based on the statements of the involved parties and CCTV (closed circuit television) footage, a minor collision occurred, resulting in damage to both vehicles,” the Taguig police said.
“The police officer, together with members of the barangay safety force, responded to the incident by assisting in traffic management and requesting the driver’s license of the senior citizen as part of the standard initial response,” it added.
“During the course of the incident, the elderly driver attempted to leave the area, prompting the police officer to intervene,” the Taguig police further explained.
It noted, however, that upon arriving at the police station, the police officer and the senior citizen reached an “amicable agreement” and committed to not filing a complaint against each other.
The Southern Police District (SPD) said it will collect all available evidence of the incident as part of the investigation.
“Considering that the involved police officer is assigned to Police Regional Office 4A, any findings that may warrant administrative action shall be properly coordinated with and endorsed to the concerned office having administrative jurisdiction over the personnel concerned,” the SPD explained.
The Rizal Provincial Police Office condemned the incident.
“The Rizal Provincial Police Office continues to assert the advancement of professionalism, integrity, discipline and accountability among the police’s ranks, in line with our duty to service and protect citizens,” it said.
National Police Commission Commissioner Rafael Calinisan said he had directed the police officer seen in the video to report to his office on Wednesday to explain the incident. /gsg
