Iloilo lawmaker, son face raps for mauling police officer
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2018 00:42:03 +0000
A police officer in Guimbal, Iloilo will file charges against a lawmaker and his son for allegedly mauling him on Wednesday.
PO3 Federico Macaya will file charges of physical injuries, assault to persons in authority, and scandal and grave coercion against Iloilo Rep. Richard Garin and his son, town Mayor Oscar Garin, who beat him up at the Guimbal Public Plaza on December 26 at about 3:30 a.m.
He is also preparing to file a case of grave threats against Mayor Garin.
Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, regional director of Western Visayas, said in a statement the Garins ordered Macaya and Police Senior Insp. Antonio Monreal, the town’s chief of police, to come to the Guimbal Public Plaza.
After the police officers arrived, Rep. Garin ordered Monreal to disarm Macaya and then took the police officer’s handcuffs and put them on Macaya.
Rep. Garin then kicked Macaya several times, slapped him twice, spat on his face twice and fired his firearm to intimidate him.
All these happened while Mayor Garin was pointing a gun to Macaya.
Police investigation showed that the lawmaker’s anger stemmed from Macaya’s alleged inaction over a case involving the son of a Sangguniang Bayan member who hit him with a beer bottle in the town plaza last December 22.
Macaya was the investigator of the case.
Bulalacao said he forgave Rep. Garin after the congressman apologized to him but would pursue charges against him and his son.
“I accepted his apology but I could not bear how he degraded and humiliated our uniform and our profession as police officers. I could not imagine how a lowly PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel in uniform was mauled helplessly,” he said.
Bulalacao relieved Monreal for his inaction and failure to arrest the Garins over the incident.
He also canceled the detail of Rep. Garin’s two security personnel over the incident.
Bulalacao also requested the Department of the Interior and Local Government to revoke the deputation of Mayor Garin so that he would no longer have police powers.
“I have nothing personal against the Garins but I have grounds and responsibility to support my personnel and to protect and uplift the image of the police organization,” he said.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año slammed the Garins for the incident against Macaya and said that this was clear ground for the possible removal of Mayor Garin’s deputation over the policemen of Guimbal.
“This is an abuse of authority which is conduct unbecoming for the men in authority. I’ll wait for the result of the PNP’s investigation. Cases will be filed against the Garins. This kind of abuse will not be tolerated,” he told reporters.
Rep. Garin is the husband of former Health secretary Janet Garin. ROY NARRA
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