MANILA, Philippines – What should law enforcers do if they catch civilians illegally drinking liquor on the street? Issue them a warning or arrest them and make them pay a fine.
But two Mandaluyong City policemen carried out a different disciplining style that lacked any semblance of law and order when they apprehended two men and brought them to a barangay hall.
“Sir, mayroon ba kayo ritong ano ng barangay? Mayroon kayong, parang ‘yong inaano, rules and regulation? Rules and regulation lang, Sir,” asked one of the two men caught by police officers Jose Tandog and Chito Enriquez drinking alcohol on a street in the city’s Barangay San Jose.
[Sir, do you have rules and regulations in this barangay? Just the rules and regulations, Sir.]
But the policemen didn’t answer the question and just told the violators “Fred” and “Jerry” that, “Ang dami n’yong alam ah [You know so many things].”
Afterwards, Tandog, using a rattan rod, repeatedly hit one of the men. The policeman then urged them to fight with him, cussed at the violators, and threatened to shoot at them.
“Putang in*** mo! Hindi ako nagbibiro rito! Sige laban,!” said Tandog. “Puputukan ko kayo!”
He continued beating one of the men until the latter was able to escape from the barangay hall.
Tandog then turned his ire on the other man, showed him his gun, cussed at him, and threatened that he would sprawl on the ground if he tries to approach the policeman.
“Sige, Lalaban ka? Putang in***, puputukan kita? Sige, lapit. ha? Nang mahandusay ka diyan, ha?”
Jerry said they knew that they had violated the ordinance against drinking liquor on the streets of Mandaluyong but thought that what the policemen did to them was unjust and inhumane.
“Tanggap po namin ‘yong pagkakamali namin. Pero ‘yong sasaktan kami mali ‘yon. Hindi na po makatao ‘yon.”
He thought policemen were there to help and protect people but realized after the incident that authorities were the ones hurting and abusing civilians.
“Akala ko…’yong mga pulis p’wedeng lapitan pero hindi pala, sasaktan ka nila,” said Jerry.
Tandog and Enriquez were relieved from their posts after the incident.
Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa didn’t like what the two policemen did.
“That’s too much, para sa akin. Iimbestigahan natin ‘yan. Pero kung ang basehan natin ‘yong video lang, that’s too much. Dapat s’ya ang paluin,” Dela Rosa told News5 on Wednesday.
[For me, that’s too much. We will investigate that. But if we will just based it on the video, that’s too much. He (policeman) should be the one beaten.]
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO REPORT BY NEWS5’S ROMEL LOPEZ:
