Lawyer Raymond Fortun. Photo from his Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — Complaints have been filed against three traffic investigators of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) traffic sector for allegedly failing to protect the cyclist in a road rage case.
The Quezon City Public Affairs and Information Services Department (PAISD) said lawyer Raymond Fortun filed complaints of oppression, irregularities in the performance of duties, and incompetence against Staff Sergeant Darwin Peralta, Staff Sergeant Joel Aviso, and Executive Master Sergeant Armando Carr – all of the QCPD Traffic Sector 4 in Kamuning, Quezon City.
According to PAISD, Fortun filed the complaints before the Quezon City People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) pursuant to Rule 21 of the National Police Commission Memorandum Circular 2016-002.
PAISD said that based on the results of the ongoing investigation, authorities first brought dismissed policeman Wilfredo Gonzales and the cyclist to QCPD Kamuning Police Station 11. However, PAISD noted that no complaints seemed to have been filed against Gonzales at the police station and that the case was later referred to the QCPD Galas Police Station.
“Despite the clear and imbalanced status of the parties, the same police officers failed to protect the cyclist’s rights when they failed to provide a legal counsel for him so that the latter would be duly appraised of his rights,” Fortun said in a statement released by PAISD on Sunday.
“Further, they failed to secure the CCTV footage in the area in order to ferret out the real facts in the conflicting statements made by the parties. Finally, and for reasons known only to them, and despite there being sufficient basis to do so, the same police officers failed to file the appropriate charges,” he added.
Fortun’s action received support from Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, who underscored the importance of PLEB – the check and balance mechanism that can “summarily dismiss, demote, suspend and reprimand abusive policemen.”
“This incident also highlights the need to institutionalize the presence of PLEB in other cities and municipalities to hear and decide the complaints filed against erring policemen. I am confident that the case filed in the PLEB will be handled without fear or favor,” Belmonte said.
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