NATIONAL Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Guillermo Eleazar has relieved a Manila police deputy commander after he allegedly hit three cops for failing to control the millions of devotees during the Traslacion or the procession of the revered image of the Black Nazarene last Wednesday.
Eleazar ordered the administrative relief of Chief Inspector Alden Panganiban, deputy commander of Manila Police District (MPD) Gandara Community Precinct in Binondo.
According to Eleazar, Panganiban was relieved after PO3 Enrique Valdez, PO1 Ricardo Bautista and PO1 Jose Sinfroso, all assigned to NCRPO Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU), filed charges against the police deputy commander for conduct unbecoming of an officer, grave abuse of authority, and violation of the Anti-Hazing Law.
The three cops, who served as auxiliary forces during the Traslacion, alleged that Panganiban summoned them in a construction site in Escolta at the height of the procession and hit their hands with a piece of wood.
The victims said Panganiban got mad at them for failing to control the devotees from pushing and pulling, and for refusing to obey some of his orders.
However, Panganiban reasoned out that he only taught the cops a “lesson” since the three cops repeatedly refused to follow some of his orders because they said he was not in-charge of them.
Panganiban also claimed the three cops kept on leaving their posts.
The victims denied Panganiban’s claim.
The cops complained that that they could not move their hands well because they were swelling due to the severity of the hit.
Senior Inspector Myrna Diploma, chief of NCRPO public information office (PIO), said the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division (RIDMD, NCRPO) has been reviewing the charges against Panganiban.
“Major Panganiban was already relieved from his post and the case is already under investigation by the RIDMD,” Diploma said in a message.
For his part, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said they will look into the matter to determine why Panganiban punished the three cops.
However, Albayalde said the three victims are not yet off the hook as he mulled the filing of administrative charges against them for insubordination and non-compliance to a legal directive.
As of yesterday, the NCRPO has yet to name a replacement for Panganiban. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
