Cop who stopped traffic for ‘VP Sara’ relieved
THE police officer who stopped traffic along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City to give way to the convoy of Vice President Sara Duterte was relieved from his post and under probe for possible administrative liability.
The Holy Spirit police station 14 has also apologized to the public for the actions of the policeman, identified only as Sgt. Pantallano, as his act caused traffic confusion and mess.
Station 14 commander Lt. Col. May Genio said Pantallano committed a lapse in judgement as he overreacted when he stopped the flow of traffic for a few minutes due to alleged “misleading information.”
“I have ordered the relief of my policeman and put him under investigation to determine administrative liability for his actions. We assure the public that this incident will not happen again,” Genio said.
Genio said Pantallano mistakenly heard the word “VP,” thinking that Duterte’s convoy was about to pass the major thoroughfare.
It turned out that Duterte had no engagement in the specific area on that day, Genio said.
“Ako po ay humihingi ng paumanhin sa aking maling nagawa. Patawarin n’yo po ako at akala ko po talaga may dadaan na VIP,” Pantallano was quoted as saying.
Genio pointed out that the uploader of the viral video was the one who mentioned Duterte’s name.
Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said the recent traffic management operation was not, in any manner, related to politics.
“However, we acknowledge that there may have been inconvenience and misunderstandings caused to the public during this incident. Your QCPD sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience and confusion brought on by the situation,” Maranan said.
He also extended his apologies to the Office of the Vice-President for any unintended association with this matter, as the VP was not the subject of the security measures taken during that time.
