Bato: Mandaluyong cops ‘pumalpak’ while doing job

PNP chief Gen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa holds a press briefing on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, at the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City. NOY MORCOSO/INQUIRER.NET

Policemen in the deadly Dec. 28 shooting incident in Mandaluyong City “bungled” the operation but had no ill-intent, PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said Tuesday as he expressed support for the lawmen.

“Kahit pumalpak pulis ko sa Mandaluyong, maipagmayabang ko pa rin na nangyari ‘yon because of their performance of duty,” Dela Rosa said in a press conference at Camp Crame.

Dela Rosa vowed to help the 10 Mandaluyong policemen facing complaints over the incident but maintained that they should be charged for them to “learn their lesson.”

“Mabuti na ‘yung tanga na may malinis na kalooban kaysa ‘yung marunong pero may masamang intensyon,” he said.

Two persons—Jonalyn Amba-an and Jomar Hayawon—died while Hayawon’s coworkers Eliseo Aluad and Danilo Santiago were wounded in the incident.

Investigation showed that the van rushing Amba-an to the hospital was shot at by barangay tanods and later by 10 policemen, who mistook them for gunmen involved in a shooting incident.

The policemen were responding to a report by village watchmen that a shooting incident was happening at Shaw Boulevard and Old Wack Wack Road on the night of Dec. 28. The lawmen were told that the occupants of the van were heavily armed. No firearms were found inside the vehicle.

Because of the incident, Dela Rosa renewed his call for the return to the PNP of the training of police recruits.

“Sana maibalik sa amin ang training ng police para matutukan namin at maturuan sila when to shoot, when not to shoot, when not to believe and when to believe in reports na dumarating kasi kawawa rin sila,” the police chief said. /cbb