NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Debold Sinas has ordered an investigation on a policeman assigned at the Manila Police District who was caught on video hitting, threatening and cursing two individuals who went out of their homes to buy food.
NCRPO spokesperson Major Britz Estadilla said Sinas has already instructed Manila Police District Director Rolando Miranda to conduct an investigation into the incident.
A video that has gone viral on social media showed a policeman hitting and cursing at two residents who has shown their quarantine passes issued by the Barangay 384 Zone 39 in Quiapo, Manila.
According to the owner of the video, the incident happened on Wednesday, March 25, at the gate of a Muslim compound.
The cop also threatened to shoot those who would go out of their residence.
"Lahat nang lalabas nang walang oras, babarilin na, t*ngina niyo," the policeman said.
"Ikaw bakit ka lumabas? Oras ba ngayon? 'Yan ba dapat gamitin ngayon? P*tangina niyo matigas ulo, umuwi ka!" he added.
Miranda said cops enforcing the quarantine rules should always remain calm and exercise maximum tolerance.
“Paiimbestigahan ko ‘to. Hindi dapat natin daanin sa init ng ulo ang pagpapatupad ng batas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Joint Task Force (JTF) CV Shield commander and PNP Deputy Director for operations Guillermo Eleazar said the PNP leadership will not tolerate any kind of abuses by the poliocemen.
"'Yun ay ating iimbestigahan. Hindi hahayaan ng pamunuan ng PNP na mag-aabuso ang pulis o sinomang namumuno o kawani ng gobyerno sa mga pagkakataong ito na kailangan natin ng pagtutulungan at sakripisyo," Eleazar said.
He denounced the cop for threatening to shoot violators of the enhanced community quarantine.
The entire Luzon has been placed under enhanced community quarantine to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Under the enhanced community lockdown, public transport systems are suspended, food and health services are regulated, and more uniformed men are deployed to encourage the people to stay in their homes.
Some localities have designated a certain period during which a member of a household would be allowed to go out to buy necessities.
Earlier, Eleazar said with or without curfew hours in their respective localities, people should stay inside their homes for the duration of the lockdown except for the one who was designated to buy the family’s necessities.
He said the curfew hours in Luzon is essentially 24 hours due to the total lockdown. (SunStar Philippines)