3 cops suing woman who accused them of not paying vendor

CEBU, Philippines - The three police officers whose photos became viral on Facebook after being posted by a woman who accused them of not paying a street food vendor along Colon Street, Cebu City on Thursday will be pressing charges against her.

This after street food vendor Renante Batucan, 38, showed up at the Waterfront Police Station yesterday morning and clarified that Police Officer 1 Jonathan Cabañero, PO1 Palicarpo Barliso Jr. and PO2 Lolito Bustria really paid him for the siomai and rice they ate.

Batucan, in an interview, said he learned about the Facebook post from a neighbor. He said the three police officers are also his friends.

He said he went to Waterfront Police Station where the three are assigned to help them clear their names. He alleged that the three actually gave their payment before eating and the woman might have just thought that they just left without paying.

“Nianhi lang g’yud ko aron ma-limpyo ilang ngalan ba. Naluoy man sad ko nila,” said Batucan.

The woman, in her post in Facebook, said she and her boyfriend were eating at a siomai cart along Colon Street when three police officers and a “sexy” lady arrived to eat.

But after eating, the police officers allegedly walked away without paying for their food. The cops allegedly told the vendor that the woman they were with would pay for the food they ordered.

The woman noted in her post that the vendor only mumbled and she caught him saying, “Abusado kaayo mga tawhana oy. Ang babae lang daw mobayad. Ambot kinsang bayhana ana ilang giingon.”

However, Batucan denied saying such.  “Wa ko’y gisulti uy. Mga amigo man gud na ko nang mga pulisa,” he said.

In a separate interview, Cabañero, Barliso and Bustria vehemently denied the accusation, saying that every time they eat at Batucan’s food cart, they use to pay him before eating.

“So ang style ana, paghuman og kaon, lakaw na mi diretso. Basin ang kato’ng babaye,  nakaingon ngali to nga ‘Ah! diretso ra man lakaw wa man namayad’,” said Cabañero.

The three expressed their disappointment on the Facebook post, which also contained their pictures, saying this really affected them.

“Naapektahan g’yud mi kay trabaho man ni nato ang pamulis unya naa’y mga pamilya makahibawo, mauwawan sad mi,” said Barliso.

“Sakit kaayo sa akoa nga ingon ana mag-post sa Facebook unya wa g’yud mi nagbuhat ba, unya sakyan sa uban bitaw,” Bustria also said.

The three also denied that a “sexy” lady were with them during that time. They told reporters yesterday they are really willing to file char-ges against the woman responsible for the social media post.

Chief Inspector Jose Gesto, the acting chief of the Waterfront Police Station, said he was also surprised about the news since the three cops involved are “good” personnel.

“Nahibung ko kay mga buotan man ni mga pulisa gud. Wa’y record, wa’y ingon nga gi-precharge nako ni sila unya sayo mo-report (for duty). Na-surprise mi nga ang ila’ng mga nawong gi-upload sa babaye,” he said.

He said after learning about it, he immediately conducted investigation and contacted Batucan to verify the accusations.

“Ni-deny man g’yud. Nibayad man g’yud kuno atong mga pulis,” said Gesto.

He said they do not know what the woman’s motive was since they still have not talked with her but they will support the three in filing the case against her even if she would ask for apology.

“Proper forum na ana is sa fiscal kay di man na barangay level. In fact, bug-at na kasoha kay di lang ang tulo ka pulis iya’ng gipakauwawan, di lang kami ang Waterfront Police Station, but also the whole PNP (Philippine National Police),” said Gesto.

He said they will file a libel case against the woman in relation to Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. — Ma. Fatima R. Secuya/NSA (FREEMAN)