Police assigned along Katipunan Street in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City speak with a group of individuals in this June 25, 2020 file photo.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A cop was temporarily relieved from his post as he is being investigated for alleged abuse for forcing a 15-year-old boy in Barangay Tisa to do push-ups for not wearing a face mask last Sunday, July 12, 2020.
Police Captain Jonathan Dela Cerna, chief of the Labangon Police Station where the cop was assigned to as part of the augmentation force, said that they are still investigating the case and are contacting the family of the victim to help with the investigation.
Based on the report from the police officer, whose identity is withheld pending the investigation, Dela Cerna said that the minor was seen outside without any facemask and violated social distancing and was immediately reprimanded. The minor at first got angry then later apologized and did push-ups on his own will.
Read: Labella urges victims of unjustified arrests to report abusive police to him
This report, however, was different with what the viral post alleged. An anonymous netizen sent a local online news page a post alleging that a minor was inside the house of his grandmother when a policeman asked for him to come out do push ups as a punishment for violating quarantine protocols.
Dela Cerna said he ordered the relief of the officer to avoid bias investigation of the case.
Dela Cerna, though, urged the public to report directly to them any sign of police abuse so that appropriate actions could be taken.
“Direct lang unta sila sa police station kung naa sila allegation nga naay something wrong,” said Dela Cerna.
(I hope they come straight to the police station of they have allegations that something is wrong.)
Dela Cerna assured the public that the cop involved knows that exercise as a form of punishment has been prohibited as per the directive of Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7). /bmjo