Power tripping?

Two Quezon City policemen, S/Sgt. Alzelmo Lazatin and Cpl. James Garsola, arrested Luke Cruz, 26, a call center agent, and booked him for assault upon a person in authority after he allegedly told them that they were “bobo” (dunce).

But is throwing insulting words at a policeman during a heated argument a crime under our statute?

The Revised Penal Code says that physical assault upon a person in authority – policeman, elected official, teachers and barangay tanod, government lawyers – is a crime.

However, the above-mentioned persons must be doing their job when the physical assault was made in order for the attack to become a crime. But verbal assault like calling a cop “tanga” (clueless)? Give me a break!

Cynthia Quinlan, Luke’s aunt, told Isumbong mo kay Tulfo her nephew never uttered those disparaging words to the cops.

As this column was being written – May 3, a Tuesday and a holiday – Luke was inside the jail of the Police Community Precinct 1 in Quezon City.

The young man may have to be in jail for one more day because, the day being a holiday, offices were closed. He could not post bail as insurance companies were closed.

Here’s what the police blotter says of the incident:

“It appears that as stated (not legible) apprehending officers conducting anti-criminality campaign particularly implementing city ordinance and IATF protocol when one male person caught their attention for not wearing face mask and upon cautioning the said male person, said person still resisting uncooperatively/unruly and told the apprehending officers ‘mga bobo kayong mga pulis, papatulfo ko kayo bakit ninyo ako sinisita, kakasuhan ko kayo’ the apprehending officers applied maximum tolerance but still the male person was uncooperative in an arrogant manner in that instance apprehending officers decided to apprehend the suspect and later issued an OVR for not wearing face mask. The suspect was given explanation on the nature of his arrest, and apprised of his constitutional rights in Tagalog, and language known to and understood by him. They brought the suspect to QMMC (Quezon Memorial Medical Center) for medical/and physical examination and brought to the station for proper disposition.”

Digressing, I nearly wet my shorts laughing at the report. Por Dios, por santo bakit hindi na lang tinagalog? Lazatin and Garsola should be arrested for murdering the English language. Aren’t policemen college graduates?

Nowhere in the report was it mentioned that Cruz attempted to physically attack the two cops.

Granting he did tell them they were dunce (slow witted or stupid), so what?

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, so goes an old children’s rhyme.

Luke told his aunt that he came from a bar on Tomas Morato St. and was about to ride his motorcycle when his helmet fell.

As he was picking up the helmet, the two cops accosted him, saying he was not wearing a mask.

Luke said he was about to put on his mask after he picked up the helmet when the two Katzenjammer Kids of law enforcers came.

The young man said he would not have uttered the disparaging word as the two policemen were in uniform. Besides, he trembles at the sight of policemen, he said.

According to Luke, he was just reasoning out with the cops.

All he said was why should he be arrested when he didn’t commit any criminal offense.

I tried getting in touch with Lazatin and Garsola to get their side, but I was told by their station they were still not on duty.

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If we would believe Luke, the two cops were “power tripping.”

Lazatin and Garsola expected an ordinary citizen like Luke they accost in the street to bow before them as he is in the presence of the Majesty of the Law.

That kind of mindset made killer-cops like Jonel Nuezca, who shot in cold blood a mother and her son who tried to reason out with him after he tried to arrest the boy for making a racket that disturbed his sleep.

Two of Nuezca’s fellow cops, in comments made on social media about the incident, said the mother and son deserved to be shot for messing with a person in authority.

There are countless Nuezcas, Lazatins, Garsolas and those two cops who came to the killer-cop’s defense on social media.

That’s how abusive most members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are.

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Former Bureau of Corrections (BuÇor) officer-in-charge (OIC) Rafael Ragos exposed his craven personality when he said that he testified against former justice secretary Leila de Lima out of fear of going to prison.

Ragos, who is also a retired deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said then justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, who replaced De Lima, had coerced him into betraying his former boss.

De Lima appointed Ragos to BuCor as OIC in the last few months of the Noynoy Aquino administration.

Even if he’s telling the truth that De Lima indeed received money from drug convicts in the national penitentiary as their campaign contribution to her senatorial run, he exposed himself as craven.

Biting the hand that feeds you is a despicable act. One who does that becomes a pariah in the world he moves in because he can’t be trusted.

For a former NBI official, Ragos is a contemptible coward. He is like Judas, a character in the Bible, who betrayed his Master for 30 pieces of silver.

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Joke! Joke! Joke!

A letter from a teacher to a parent:

Dear Parent, Edward doesn’t smell nice in class. Please try to bathe him.

Parent’s reply: Dear Teacher, Edward is not a rose. Don’t smell him, teach him.