The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has issued an apology to the family of the late actor Ronaldo Valdez over the crime scene video where he was found dead inside his house last Dec. 17, 2023, which was leaked on social media.
"The QCPD extends its sincere apologies to the Gibbs family regarding the recent incident where a member of our police force inappropriately took a video of the late Mr. Ronaldo Valdez. We acknowledge the gravity of this lapse in judgment of some of our personnel, and we deeply regret any distress this may have caused," the QCPD said.
"Rest assured that swift and decisive action is being undertaken. The involved personnel will face appropriate administrative charges for their actions. We want to emphasize that this behavior is not reflective of the values we uphold in QCPD," it added.
The death of the actor on Dec. 17 was confirmed by the city police and his son, actor and singer, Janno Gibbs, who requested privacy for his family while they were mourning. The QCPD had earlier said that they will conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.
A video of the crime scene showing Valdez being unresponsive while sitting on a chair in his house was posted on social media. Netizens called for the removal of the video online as a sign of respect to his family.
On Monday, Jan. 15, Janno Gibbs called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to issue an apology over the leaked video.
The city police said that five identified police officers involved in the unauthorized circulation of the video online will face a range of administrative charges including neglect of duty; grave irregularity in the performance of duty, Grave Misconduct in relation to Republic Act (R.A.) 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), Conduct unbecoming of a Police Officer, and Grave Misconduct in relation to Presidential Decree (P.D.) 1829 (Obstruction of Justice), with dismissal from the service as the maximum penalty.
Charges for neglect of duty were also filed against three police officers under the doctrine of command responsibility, it added.
It added that it will also file legal actions under R.A. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) against identified civilians who were suspected to have taken part in the unauthorized dissemination of the video.
"We assure you that such incidents will not be tolerated, and we are implementing stricter measures to prevent their recurrence," it said.
"Meanwhile, the QCPD urges the Gibbs family to file a criminal case against those involved in the proliferation of the said video," the city police added.
Read more: Janno Gibbs wants the PNP to apologize over 'lapses' in their investigation of father's death, 2 QCPD cops relieved from post for uploading crime scene video of late actor Ronaldo Valdez