Gun-toting cop-brods axed
Three police officers who are brothers have been relieved as they face charges of grave threat and gun ban violation for allegedly threatening a family over a traffic altercation in Caloocan City last Saturday.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde issued the directive after a video of the brothers went viral. The video has been viewed over a million times on Facebook.
Police Officer 3 Ralph Soriano of the Northern Police District (NPD), Police Officer 1 Rendel Soriano of the Caloocan police warrant section, and Police Officer 1 Reniel Soriano of the Police Drug Enforcement Group have been relieved and disarmed. They are on floating status and detailed at the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit at Camp Crame.
NPD director Chief Superintendent Amando Clifton Empiso yesterday said the three have been charged at the Caloocan fiscal’s office on Monday for grave threats, grave oral defamation, and alarm and scandal. They also face an administrative case.
“We are also preparing additional charges of violation of the Omnibus Election Code against the siblings,” Empiso said.
Facebook user Jessie Malaya uploaded a video of the incident showing the three police officers daring his father, Ricardo Malaya, to come out of their house in Barangay 13 last Saturday. Malaya yesterday told The
STAR over the phone that the incident was triggered by a traffic altercation between the brothers and his father, who was then on his way to the market. father A few had minutes gone home, after the his three brothers on motorcycles arrived accompanied by their father, Malaya said, recalling that Reniel was even a friend and the brothers’ father his elementary teacher. They raised their shirts to show their guns at his father, Malaya said. In the video, the residents of the community were seen berating the three cops for barging in their community in civilian clothes and with guns tucked a gun ban in their violation waists despite for the barangay elections. Malaya’s aunt was heard berating the lawmen for bringing guns despite a gun ban, to which a combative Rendel was seen saying: “Gusto lang namin
makausap yung tao... Pulis po
ako (We just want to talk to the person... I’m a cop).”
At one point, Rendel was seen lunging at Malaya’s aunt before he was stopped by his brother Ralph.
Malaya said his uncle, a retired policeman, intervened to defuse the incident. The police officers eventually gave up and left onboard their motorcycles, even as many residents recorded the whole ordeal with their smartphones.
“When they arrived, you’d have thought it was an operation. They were shouting and cursing at us. Since they are police officers, we were surprised they were armed but in civilian clothes,” Malaya said.
“We’re just glad the PNP acted swiftly on relieving and disarming the three cops. The Soriano brothers are prominent. They really are known for being arrogant in the area,” he added.
The three brothers could not be immediately reached for comment.