Policemen accused of mauling, robbery

CEBU, Philippines - A businessman and a barangay councilman, both from Looc, Danao City, filed separate complaints before the prosecutor’s office against some policemen of Carmen town, Cebu, last April 10, for allegedly beating them up last month.

Fishing boat owner Renato Zamora and councilman Eutiquiano Alvaro, a retired Philippine Marine, both claimed that last March 22, they had just finished collecting payments from fish vendors in different parts of the province of Cebu and decided to have a few drinks.

Around 4:30 p.m. the two parked the vehicle owned by Zamora between SAP Restaurant and some food stalls across the Carmen Municipal Hall.

Zamora said he entered the restaurant and saw three uniformed policemen, another policeman in civilian attire and two others wearing dark blue shirts with PNP-DILG markings. The group was drinking liquor while singing videoke.

The officers in uniform were reportedly later identified as SPO1 Isidro Tagalog, PO3 Edgardo Papaya and a certain SPO1 “Ricky”. The plainclothes policeman was PO3 Agustin Bejoc while the other two who wore the PNP-DILG printed shirts were police car driver Farley Reston and traffic enforcer Rodolfo Puno, all assigned to the Carmen police.

Zamora said he found the place noisy and told Alvaro to get out of the place but Alvaro insisted on staying since he wanted a bottle of beer. 

While Zamora was waiting for his companion outside, Reston left the restaurant and allegedly shouted at him saying: “Malditoha nimo da, tan-awon nato imo kamaldito ron. Patyon tika buanga ka!” then grabbing his arm and punching his face.

Zamora claimed that Reston also kicked him in the abdomen then Puno came and kicked him several times also. Both men dragged him to the stairs of the restaurant where Bejoc appeared and allegedly punched him in the face and kicked him.

Alvaro who was still inside the restaurant while the beating took place, came out to look for Zamora and found him lying along the stairs, almost unconscious. Alvaro confronted the three but they left immediately.

The complaint also stated that the three policemen in uniform did not come outside to help Zamora or stop their companions from beating the trader.

Alvaro said in his complaint that after the beating he saw Zamora slowly crawling towards his car as he went over to confront Reston who was then sitting in the police car.

Reston went out of the car and threw a punch at Alvaro who tried to escape but fell to the ground. Reston allegedly beat him as Puno and Bejoc came out of the restaurant and kicked and punched him until he was unconscious.

When he woke up, he was already at Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City and found out that his cellphone worth P6,000 and his wallet containing P7,000 were missing.

Zamora said Bejoc and a certain SPO1 Danilo Laurente dragged him inside the police station, took his keys and threw him in jail. Zamora said he asked for his keys back because he had P1,400,000 inside his car from their collections that day.

He was released two hours later and went to the Danao City Hospital for treatment. He claimed after inspecting the money he left in his car it was P200,000 short.

The two complainants accused the respondents of frustrated homicide, serious physical injuries, robbery, and illegal arrest and detention. — Angelica Odias and Iris Christine Cornito, UP Masscom interns/BRP   (THE FREEMAN)