A DRUNKEN police officer assigned to a regional unit and his civilian companion were arrested on Wednesday afternoon, July 30, 2025, after they allegedly snatched a cellphone, entered a furniture shop and a warehouse, and fired a gun in Minglanilla, southern Cebu, according to local officials.
The incident unfolded shortly after 1 p.m. in Purok Nangka, Barangay Linao-Lipata, when authorities received reports of gunfire.
The suspects were identified as Staff Sgt. Abraham Quijano, 45, of Talisay City, and Joel Butron Mandras, 41, of Minglanilla. Quijano, a member of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 7, was serving as a driver at the Police Regional Office 7 at the time of the incident.
According to Maj. Arieza Otida, chief of the Minglanilla Police Station, officers were dispatched after a caller reported an armed man firing a gun. By the time police arrived, the suspects had fled on a motorcycle.
Witnesses told officers that the two men had entered a furniture shop, where Quijano allegedly grabbed a cellphone from a customer. The police officer was drunk, residents told the police.
The pair then proceeded to a nearby warehouse. There, Quijano reportedly brandished his firearm and threatened another person, declaring, “We are maniacs,” before both suspects left and fired several shots outside.
Police said Quijano and Mandras were swiftly identified and tracked down after the incident. Quijano, in particular, was known to frequent the area.
“We responded to the area, but the armed person was gone,” Otida said. “I instructed my personnel to conduct a hot pursuit operation. We successfully apprehended the two suspects and learned that one is a police officer and the other a civilian.”
No special treatment
In a separate interview, Col. Christopher Bermudez, chief of the Cebu Police Provincial Office, stressed that Quijano would receive no special treatment. He echoed the position of Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, regional police director, that officers who break the law “have no place in the ranks.”
Bermudez said the victims would receive justice and that an investigation was underway to determine whether Quijano was intoxicated during
the incident.
“We are looking into whether he really fired his gun,” Bermudez said. “According to the complainant, he did fire it. We are having him undergo a paraffin test. If the test is positive, we will file an additional charge for illegal discharge of firearms against him.”
Quijano is expected to face both criminal and administrative charges.
Police seized his firearm, believed to be his service weapon, which will undergo ballistic examination as part of the inquiry.
The case has drawn renewed scrutiny to police conduct and accountability, especially as local authorities promise a thorough investigation. / AYB