#PulisAngTerrorista trends on Twitter as another civilian dies in just a month
The term #PulisAngTerrorista (Police are terrosists) trended on Twitter Tuesday morning following the shooting and killing of another civilian by a police officer in just a month.
#PulisAngTerrorista made it to the top list of Twitter trends, with at least 17,100 tweets as of noon, after Master Sergeant Hensie Zinampan shot at close range 52-year-old Lilibeth Valdez in Quezon City.
The incident, which was recorded in a video taken by the victim's relative, came after Zinampan and Valdez' son engaged in a heated argument and fistfight after a drinking session on May 1.
Valdez was pulled by her hair and killed in front of her house in Barangay Greater Fairview despite her pleas to Zinampan and was witnessed by several children who were heard crying on the video.
"How ironic it is to know that these 'uniformed' men who are 'enforcing' the laws, are the actual ones who break them?" said a certain @icyfractals in her Twitter post.
"Being a policeman doesn't give you the right to kill whoever tf you want whenever tf you want," added a certain @lwthuggr.
The recent killing in Metro Manila happened barely two weeks after an 18-year-old man with autism was allegedly shot dead by a police officer in a tupada or cockfighting raid in Valenzuela City.
Edwin Arnigo was allegedly killed by Senior Master Sergeant Christopher Salcedo on May 23, said Mayor Rex Gatchalian, citing a witness on the incident. However, police maintained that the victim engaged Salcedo in a gun scuffle that led to an accidental firing of the latter's firearm.
Some Twitter users also recalled the killing of 52-year-old Sonia Gregorio by Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca in Tarlac in December, 2020, as well as the shooting of retired Army member Winston Ragos by Master Sergeant Daniel Florendo in Quezon City in April, 2020.
University of the Philippines professor Danilo Arao, in his tweet, said "police and military brutality is never an isolated case. Scalawags in uniform grow in a regime of tyranny and impunity. This explains why they should be kept out of our houses and campuses as they persist in invading our safe spaces."
Newly installed Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar said he already ordered the filing of a murder case against Zinampan, adding that the video taken during the incident proves his guilt.
Eleazar also apologized to the victim's family.