Truck driver Crispen Ricarte (right) and Leonardo Orcullo (left) filed a complaint against PO3 Renato Inot at the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) after the policeman and an unidentified companion berated, mauled and then poked their guns at them for allegedly refusing to give way while the cop’s motorcycle was trying to overtake them at the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
A Mandue City policeman was relieved yesterday following a traffic altercation at the foot of the first Mandaue-Mactan Bridge which left many motorists in shock at how freely the cop and a companion brandished firearms while punching at their victims in full view at the start of dusk.
Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) director P/Supt. Roberto Alanas ordered the relief of PO3 Renato Inot, 51, a policeman assigned to the City Intelligence Branch (CIB), after a Facebook post which went viral showed Inot screaming by the roadside as he struck a truck driver several times with his fist pointing what appeared to be his gun.
The 1 minute 47 second (1:47) FB video also showed Inot’s unidentified male companion pointing a gun at onlookers while another man wearing a red shirt was shown trying to pacify the two.
The incident occurred in full view of schoolchildren, passersby and motorists along A.C. Cortes Avenue, Barangay Looc, right in front of the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu Mandaue (UCLM) gate.
It also left truck driver 25-year-old Crispen Ricarte of Triple L. Comprehensive Aircon and Refrigeration Services wondering what it was he had done to deserve a beating from Inot.
A complaint filed before the MCPO Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) by Ricarte and his project supervisor Leonardo Orcullo, who was with him at the time, claimed that Ricarte was maneuvering in heavy traffic at around 5:39 p.m. Friday, when a red motorcycle with two men on board suddenly overtook them.
Orcullo said that when they reached UCLM, the motorcycle, driven by an unidentified man, blocked their way while the back rider, later identified as PO3 Inot, disembarked and poked his gun.
The short FB video starts with PO3 Inot angrily opening the truck door while screaming at Ricarte. He then tries to pull the driver off his truck while pointing what appears to be a gun. Ricarte froze at the driver’s seat which led PO3 Inot to start mauling him from outside the truck.
Meanwhile, Inot’s still unidentified companion brandishes his gun at onlookers and hits Orcullo with his head.
Inot and his companion then leave after another unidentified man seems to have pacified both.
Students nearby who witnessed the commotion took videos and uploaded the incident on Facebook.
Upon seeing the incident on social media, Mandue City police chief Roberto Alanas ordered his men to immediately locate PO3 Inot so that the cop could be brought before him. Reports reaching Alanas said that Inot was not answering calls on his phone.
If PO3 Inot surfaces, he will be disarmed and restricted to the MCPO office while undergoing investigation, said Alanas, adding that Inot will also be asked to identify his companion and explain why the latter was armed.
The policeman could face possible dismissal from service depending on the results of the investigation, said Alanas.
“What they did to us was wrong. If we had a violation then they should have told us or issued us a citation ticket, not poke a gun at us and maul us,” Orcullo said in Cebuano.
Orcullo added that they did not notice the motorcycle while they were on the bridge although they were later told by a ranting PO3 Inot that they had blocked the policeman and his companion each time they tried to overtake the truck.
Mandaue traffic enforcers
Where were the members of the much talked about Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) when the city’s commuters were threatened with a gun by two armed men in open view?
Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing told Cebu Daily News that he had ordered Team to investigate the matter.
“There should never be a case like the incident that there will be no immediate response. We will try to see what happened, what was done, what was not done and based on that, I will decide,” Quisumbing said, adding that results of the investigation would help strengthen the city’s emergency response system.
“We have to review the protocols, and police are well-equipped to handle situations like this. It’s just a matter of how we take our coordination (with traffic) even better,” Quisumbing said.
Team head Glenn Antigua told CDN that traffic enforcer George Candungo who was assigned at the bridge rushed to the area upon learning of the commotion and also called the Team command center for backup.
Based on Team’s protocol, the radio operator assigned at the command center will immediately coordinate with the city’s police force.
“I intend to ask the operator at the time if the police responded because there are instances when the police line is busy because of several callers,” Antigua said.
“Nahadlok pud ang enforcer kay duna rabay dalang armas (The enforcer was also scared because there were guns),” Antigua added.