We’ve heard and seen enough of the viral post of the female Grab driver about how she was allegedly maltreated by a police captain in Taguig City. Here is the version of the story according to that policeman, Captain Ronald Saquilayan.
In a police report obtained by the Manila Bulletin that was confirmed by National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas in a statement, Saquilayan said he was waiting for his daughter to come out from the Starbucks in Barangay Ususan, Taguig City when a woman went out her car.
The police report which narrated the story of Saquilayan as the complainant stated that the woman, identified in the police report as suspect Mary Florence Norial, ‘with unknown reason went out of her car shouting and confronted the victim’.
Norial, according to the police report, also knocked on the car of Saquilayan repeatedly.
The police report added that the incident prompted Saquilayan to go out of the vehicle to report it to the security guard.
“And when the complainant/victim (Saquilayan) was about to go back to his car, the suspect (Norial) pushed the door to prevent the victim from boarding his car and without apparent reason, the suspect hit the victim on his head,” the report read.
“Thus, the victim/complainant effected arrest against the suspect for Alarm and Scandal, Direct Assault. Thereafter, the suspect became unruly, resisted and tried to flee to the arresting officers while she was under arrest,” the report added.
The police report identified Police Senior Master Sergeant Nancy Taleon and Patrolman Kevin Tito Pelipel, both of the Sub-Station 4 of the Taguig City Police Station, as the arresting officers.
Sinas, in a statement issued on Thursday, quoted the same report from the Taguig City Police Station, and said the charges were filed against Norial with the help of a security guard and a civilian volunteer who allegedly witnessed the incident.
He added that Saquilayan arrested Norial while informing her of her rights and the nature of the crime she committed.
Missing links
The police report and Sinas’ statement, however, did not mention why Norial confronted Saquilayan.
Norial is a Grab driver who went to the area to pick up a passenger.
In her Facebook post, Norial said that she confronted the driver of a pick-up vehicle since he would not move the vehicle despite repeatedly flashing the headlight and honking at him in a bid to signal him to move the car.
According to Norial, the pick-up truck was blocking the driveway of the Starbucks which was designated as the pick-up and drop-off point for customers. She said she went out of the car and knocked on the window of the vehicle but the driver allegedly ignored her.
It was then that she said she asked the assistance of the security guard who helped her to ask the driver to move the car.
The police report and Sinas statement stated that Norial hit Saquilayan for no apparent reason.
But according to Norial, she was forced to hit back after the driver ‘suddenly and forcefully’ opened the door of the car which hit her and eventually caused her to fall towards the bushes along the driveway.
During that time, Norial said she was not aware that the driver of the vehicle was a policeman although he was reportedly wearing fatigue pants.
She added that she only learned that the driver was a policeman when he insisted that she be arrested and later identified himself as a police captain.
Investigation
Col. Ysmael Yu, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said on Thursday morning that they already assigned the Pateros Police to conduct an investigation on the incident, since Saquilayan is assigned in Pateros.
Sinas, for his part, said they already requested a CCTV footage of the establishment.
“Nevertheless, Taguig City Police Station is conducting further investigation of the case and has already requested CCTV footage from the establishment. Further, NCRPO is conducting a separate and distinct fact-finding investigation regarding this matter to determine the fault of the cop, if any,” said Sinas.
“We are also encouraging the lady driver to coordinate with us and file a case against the subject police officer if his actions warrant such,” he added.