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Monday, July 18, 2005
Cop apologizes; 'no way', says blind masseur
By Adrian Sedillo
A BLIND masseur stood pat on his decision to file a complaint for harassment before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Negros Oriental against a member of the 705th Philippine National Police Mobile Group.
No amount of pleading from Police Officer 1 Bernard Aba melted the resolve of Oscar Calibgos, 31, single, residing at the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) compound in Barangay Taclobo, to push through with his complaint.
During their confrontation Monday at the CHR Provincial Office, Aba admitted to Calibgos and rights investigator Jesus Cañete his mistake and that because of it, he wanted to apologize.
But Calibgos remained undaunted and told the two men that the policeman's "forgive me" has no place in his heart because of what he did to him.
The meeting ended in a deadlock, the CHR investigator directed Aba to explain within ten days his side of the story.
Cañete said he would start investigation right after the policeman submitted his statement.
In his complaint to the Dumaguete City police, Calibgos, a member of the Dumaguete City Blind Masseurs Association, said in the evening of July 1, he went to an eatery near the INC compound to take his dinner.
He said inside the eatery, he found a table but on realizing it was not empty he decided to transfer to another one.
The blind man said he did not know that the occupant, which turned out to be Aba, allegedly got angry and felt insulted.
Moreover, Calibgos said, the policeman grabbed his hand and allegedly told him he would poison his food.
After eating, the blind man said Aba approached him, handed a gun, and ordered him to shoot the other customers in the eatery.
He said the policeman warned him that if he would not obey, he (Aba) would shoot him instead.
Calibgos said the owner of the store whom he could identify only as "Bebe" had witnessed the incident but that he was disappointed when she later declined to testify before the city police.
The masseur said the eatery owner was allegedly threatened by the police.
The CHR said he will act on the complaint considering that Calibgos is a handicapped person and should be free of discrimination.
(July 17, 2005 issue)
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