Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has ordered disciplinary action against a policeman from the Manila Police District who was accused of pulling out his service firearm to scare a group of teenagers violating the curfew regulations in Manila.
Eleazar said that he has already ordered the MPD leadership to start the proceedings for a case of grave offense against Police Corporal Medel Biloan, assigned to the intelligence section of the Manila Police District Station 2. The maximum penalty for grave offense is dismissal from the service.
According to Eleazar, Biloan was already disarmed and detained. He was slapped with a case of Republic Act 7610 or Special Protection Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
Biloan was arrested by his colleagues after he was caught on video threatening to hit some teenagers with his gun during the wee hours of Friday. In another CCTV footage, the policeman, who was in civilian clothes, was also seen drinking liquor outside his residence.
Eleazar said while PCpl Biloan may have good intention to enforce the curfew in their community, using his gun to scare unarmed civilians will never justify his action.
The fact that he himself was violating the protocol when he was caught drinking and not wearing face mask along the street was not only a violation of the quarantine rules and police protocols but also put the entire police organization in bad light.
As law enforcers, Eleazar said that PNP personnel should serve as role models since if they violate the laws themselves, it would erode their credibility in enforcing the law as well as the trust and respect of the public.
He said this should serve as a warning to other police officers to be mindful of their actions even they are off duty.
Eleazar also reminded the public to follow the quarantine rules and also advised parents to take care of their children amid the threat of the pandemic.