PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil reminded all policemen manning anti-criminality checkpoints in Metro Manila and the rest of the country to follow their operational procedures and the rule of law to ensure the protection of human rights at all times.

Gen. Marbil said their Oplan: Sita operations are aimed at apprehending all violators of the law, whether they are riding in cars and SUVs or in motorcycles.

Last July 4, the chief of the Cainta Municipal Police Station was hospitalized due to serious body injuries he sustained after being struck by a vehicle being driven by a drunken senior citizen.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony R. Aningalan, 40, was run over by an MG sports utility vehicle (NGN 4020) driven by a 75-year old resident of Batasan Hills.

The driver was charged for reckless imprudence resulting to serious physical injuries. He was later found driving under the influence of alcohol.

Investigation showed that Lt. Col. Aningalan and seven other Cainta policemen were conducting a checkpoint in Brgy. San Juan when they tried to stop the suspect’s vehicle for a routine inspection.

However, the driver tried to evade the checkpoint and stepped-on the gas prompting the officers to try to stop him. In the process, Lt. Col. Aningalan was struck by the SUV and fell to the ground.

The other officers in the area said that despite the incident, the driver continued to drive away prompting them to fire a shot at the vehicle’s tire.

The suspect was finally stopped and subdued some 300 meters away from the scene of the incident.

Both the Cainta police chief and the suspect, who was reeking of liquor and appeared to be incoherent during initial questioning, were taken to the Cainta Municipal Hospital for medical treatment and physical examination.

Col. Felipe Maraggun, the Rizal police chief, said the Taytay hit-and-run incident came amid their stepped-up conduct of anti-criminality patrols and checkpoints in Rizal.

Prior to the Taytay incident, Gen. Marbil ordered the deployment of 85 percent of the force in patrol duties to ensure there will be a police visibility in the streets 24 hours a day.

However, he said that lawless elements in some parts of the country have also been proven to have used SUVs and cars to commit illegal activities.

The main problem is that checking all four-wheeled vehicles passing in major roads and other thorougfares in the country may trigger huge traffic jams and inconvenience the public.

Last June 22, the PNP Directorate for Operations headed by Brig. Gen. Nicolas S. Salvador issued a memorandum reminding PNP personnel of the proper conduct of checkpoint operations.

The memorandum was issued amid complaints regarding the “selective” implementation of checkpoint operations by police officers.

The PNP Operational Procedures on the conduct of checkpoints says ‘the area where the checkpoints shall be established must be properly lighted and legible, and clear signs shall be exhibited to show that searches are being conducted.”

Enforcement officers manning the checkpoints shall be in proper prescribed uniform at all times with their identification cards and nameplates on.

As a general rule, only a visible search is allowed and a general stop and search of a moving vehicle cannot be done without “reasonable or probable cause.”

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon