BY AARON RECUENCO
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is ready to extend psychological program assistance to Police Capt. Ronaldo Saquilayan for the intense online bullying he had suffered in the past days following a viral post that accused him of maltreating a female Grab driver.
PNP chief Police Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan said there is a team of health experts that are currently looking after their men who are suffering mental stress, particularly those who were infected by the coronavirus.
“We have a psychological team from the PNP Health Service that is looking after our personnel. They are always prepared and ready to help,” said Cascolan.
Saquilayan, a member of the Pateros, Metro Manila police, was accused of maltreating a female Grab driver on the driveway of Starbucks in Taguig City on Oct. 6.
The female Grab driver, Mary Florence Norial, said that she was about to pick up a passenger but was blocked by Saquilayan’s pickup truck on the driveway. She said she repeatedly attempted to signal the driver over but he would not budge.
Norial accused Saquilayan of hurting her when he allegedly forcefully and suddenly opened the car door. This, she said, prompted her to hit him back.
The incident was uploaded in the social media and went viral, with netizens attacking Saquilayan for alleged abuse especially when she arrested Norial.
But a police report disputed Norial’s claim. Police also released a closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage to prove that Norial was allegedly lying. A security guard and another civilian also testified against Norial.
Cascolan said the investigation of the incident is still being conducted, especially by the Internal Affairs Service who is looking into the possibility of lapses on the part of Saquilayan.
“The case of Saquilayan is still under investigation. The IAS was already directed to investigate this to determine what happened – if we’re going to file cases or if our policemen are on the side of truth. We will look into it,” said Cascolan.
Saquilayan said he suffered mental stress as a result of the bullying, especially that his family was also affected by the incident.
