MANILA, Philippines — A police officer from Pasay City was relieved from his post yesterday after he was caught in a viral video threatening and forcibly evicting a family from his property after they were unable to pay rent for two months.
M/Sgt. Alexander Makarunay reportedly evicted the tenants during the enhanced community quarantine in April.
Makarunay was sacked from his post pending results of the investigation, Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, spokesman for the Philippine National Police (PNP), said.
“He was placed in the administrative holding unit of the Pasay police,” Banac said.
Pasay Mayor Emi Calixto Rubiano also ordered city police chief Col. Ericson Dilag to probe the incident.
Makarunay, assigned with the Pasay police sub-station 1, was caught on video threatening the tenants of his property on April 12.
The policeman pulled out his service firearm during the confrontation with his tenants.
“We were forced out of the house in the middle of the ECQ. We left some clothes there because we were planning to get it back, but our neighbor said the owner had thrown away our stuff,” the tenants said. “We could not pay rent because we don’t have jobs. We walked from Pasay to Antipolo.” Ralph Edwin Villanueva