Lawman wounded in Malabon ‘misencounter’

MANILA, Philippines - A policeman was shot in a “misencounter” caused by delayed coordination between the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) and the local police in Malabon City Saturday night.

Police Officer 1 Anthony Buban, 24, of the Regional Police Intelligence Operations Unit (RPIOU) at Camp Bagong Diwa, was wounded after Police Officer 1 Robert Jay Hidalgo shot him around 9:25 p.m.

Buban was taken to the Pagamutang Bayan ng Malabon. He was transferred to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

A report from the Malabon police station said Police Community Precinct 7 duty officer Senior Police Officer 1 Ronald Allan Angeles ordered his men to check on a report of armed men in Sto. Niño, Barangay Concepcion. shortly before 9 p.m.

Angeles said residents went to his precinct to alert policemen on armed “civilians” roaming in the area.

Upon reaching Sto. Niño street, responding policemen said they heard several gunshots.

Hidalgo said he saw a man clad in a t-shirt and short pants suddenly appear from an alley with his gun drawn.

He said he tried to accost the man but was forced to fire at him “when he… pointed his gun at me.”

The man turned out to be Buban, who was hit in the chest and fell on the ground but still managed to identify himself as a police officer.

Malabon chief of police Senior Superintendent Severino Abad Jr. told The STAR that Hidalgo voluntarily surrendered to his superior, Inspector Christopher Millares, as part of an ongoing investigation.

“There was a legitimate anti-crime raid that was being conducted by the RPIOU in our area of jurisdiction at the time of the incident. However, the information reached our men late,” he said.

Abad said they would verify if there was a violation on the conduct of the raiding team and the responding police officers in the area.