3 guards pose as cops in Makati bar

MANILA, Philippines — Three security guards were arrested in Makati City on Saturday night for allegedly pretending to be police officers and causing disturbance in a bar.

In a report, the Southern Police District (SPD) said Renante Sacil, 30; Lino Bartolay, 26, and Richard Bongcras Jr., 35, arrived at the bar at around 7 p.m.

After having a few drinks, Sacil approached a singer with a song request. The singer refused to cut the song request queue in favor of the suspects, saying there were many requested songs ahead of theirs.

This prompted Sacil to act belligerently and claim they were police officers, the SPD said.

“Hindi mo ba kami kilala? Pulis kami dito sa (Don’t you recognize us? We’re police officers here in) Makati,” the SPD report quoted Sacil as saying.

When asked for their identification cards, the suspects became even more aggressive and threatened everyone who tried to pacify them, the SPD reported.

The three also acted belligerently toward police officers who were called to intervene.

“Wala kaming pakialam sa inyo, criminologist kami! Hindi kami sasama sa inyo (We do not concern ourselves with you. We’re criminologists! We’re not going with you),” the SPD quoted the guards as saying.

The guards were arrested and booked on charges of usurpation of authority, alarm and scandal, and resistance and disobedience to authorities. They are being held at the Makati police station.