By Freddie Lazaro
CAMP JUAN, Ilocos Norte – A rookie Army trooper was charged before the provincial prosecutor’s office after he alleged harassed police officers manning a police assistance desk during a drunken rant in Barangay Anao, Piddig, Ilocos Norte on Wednesday.
Police Captain Kristoffer King Ramos, the town’s chief of police, identified the accused as Jaylord Plaza, 20, a private with the Army and currently assigned at the First Scout Ranger Regiment based in Camp Tecson, San Miguel, Bulacan. He was on-vacation at his home in Barangay 16, Gayamat, Piddig, Ilocos Norte.
The suspect was charged at the prosecutor’s office for violation of Article 148 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) for direct assault on a person in authority; the Article 151 of the RPC, Section 9 Paragraph D of the RA 11332; and the Section 8 of the Provincial Ordinance 016-2020 or a guideline of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
According to the police, Plaza’s attention was called by Piddig Police Patrolmen Lucky Ver Manding and Richard Ramirez at a Highway Police Assistance Desk for not wearing a mask at around 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
But instead of yielding, Plaza even retorted back to the policemen: “Ania kayo, pulis patola?! Panglokal kayo laeng, siak ket pang-national (What are you, police patola?! You are only for local, I’m for national)!”
The police immediately placed Plaza under custody for the drunken rant.