Iloilo lawmaker, mayor to face charges for allegedly beating up policeman

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 26) — A lawmaker and a town mayor from Iloilo may face charges for allegedly beating up a police officer.

According to a report by Western Visayas police, Iloilo 1st District Rep. Oscar “Richard” Garin and his father, Guimbal, Iloilo Mayor Oscar Garin, called PO3 Federico Macaya and allegedly disarmed, body searched, handcuffed and confiscated the policeman’s belongings at gunpoint.

The father-son duo then reportedly started striking the Guimbal cop on different parts of his body for still unknown reasons.

Western Visayas police Director CSupt. John Bulalacao said they are eyeing filing physical injuries, alarm and scandal, direct assault against an agent of person in authority and grave coercion charges against the lawmaker, while they would file a charge for grave threat against the mayor.

Bulalacao said he also ordered the recall of their security escorts and has asked that the mayor be stripped of his power over the police.

“I told Cong. Garin that I’m taking this incident as an affront to me. I will not let this pass without taking action against them,” Bulalacao said in a statement.

He also said he has sacked the provincial police chief “for not taking action to help his personnel.”

Bulalacao added that most Guimbal police have asked that they be transferred out of the town.

In a statement, Rep. Garin apologized for the incident, saying he respects the Philippine National Police as an institution.

“I reiterate my apologies for my actions which I take full responsibility for. Pero gusto ko lang ma klaro nga ang akon actions kaina (But I want to make it clear that my actions) are not directed to the PNP as an institution, or against its officers and personnel. My actions were a mere display of extreme frustration towards one, single PNP personnel nga sa akon panglantaw (that in my perspective) committed a great disservice to the people of Guimbal,” Rep. Garin said.

He said Macaya, instead of filing a case against a suspect who hurt a child in a celebration “Disyembre sa Guimbal” on December 22 in Guimbal, asked the victim to sign a withdrawal, adding that the suspect was a “habitual delinquent” with a pending murder case filed against him when he was 15 years old.

“Para sa akin, ang ginawa ng pulis na iyon na pag-areglo sa kaso ay betrayal of public trust at klarong pag-abuse ng kayang posisyon. Ang kanyang ginawa ay kontra sa polisiya ng PNP na hindi dapat makialam sa pag areglo ng mga partido sa isang criminal case,” Rep. Garin said.

(Translation: For me, what the policeman did, settling the case was a betrayal of public trust and clear abuse of his position. What he did was against the PNP’s policy that they should not meddle in settling between parties in a criminal case.)

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Bulalacao said the reason why Congressman Garin was so angry at PO3 Macaya was that he did not file physical injury charges against Virgilio Gigato, who had hit another man with a beer bottle, adding the victim did not want to press charges.

Bulalacao said Rep. Garin spit on the police officer.

Rep. Garin is the husband of former Health Secretary Janette Garin.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.