By JOSEPHINE M. MENDOZA
Husband-and-wife police officers PSSgt. Ver Baleos and PSSgt Rhea Mae Baleos have been ordered relieved from respective assignments – the former being assigned in Pastrana Municipal police station while the latter at Sta. Fe. Both were also directed to turn-in the firearms issued to them.
This, following an incident of alleged harassment and threats of 3 Tacloban media reporters in Sitio Cancamartes, Barangay Jones, Pastrana, Leyte on July 14, 2023.
PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director, PBGen Vincent Calanoga, in one of the reports, confirmed that the PNP couple are temporarily relieved from their assigned station in Pastrana while investigation will start.
In the same report, it was also learned that included in the investigations are the Pastrana police officers who were in the responding team to the said incident.
Firearms of said police officers will also undergo ballistic examinations to pinpoint who among them has fired the shots that are audible in the video clip.
The PNP EV Director assured that deeds unbecoming of police officers will not be tolerated under his watch.
“We are dedicated to resolving this matter promptly. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct within our ranks,” PBGen Calanoga was quoted stating in a post of the Police Regional Office 8 facebook page.
THE INCIDENT IN VIDEO: (https://youtu.be/1U2ymNmhAaU) A 49-second video clip now viral in the social media shows a woman in civilian clothes (pink shirt over white short pants) grappling with, dragging and pushing (towards a rice paddie) a man in black shirt where the words “media” is written on its back.
The man in a media shirt was later identified as Noel Sianosa, a reporter of San Juanico TV while the woman in pink shirt is known to be a police officer.
Audible in the video were gunshots fired from a distance. It was at this point that the policewoman released Sianosa from her hold.
STATEMENTS FOR ACTIONS OF PROBE, SANCTION AND CONDEMNATION: The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) issued a call for probe and sanction to the erring police officers. (https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=262442729827228&id=100081845092508&mibextid=Nif5oz)
“The actions made by elements of the Pastrana Municipal Police Office in confronting members of the press who are merely doing their job of conducting an interview is totally uncalled for, unnecessary and amounted to abuse of authority and power,” said PTFoMS Executive Director Paul M. Gutierrez as quoted in the official statement.
The statement of the PTFoMs stemmed from the Alert that the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) has issued about the incident. (https://fb.watch/lPkJpVbs7e/)
Meanwhile, local media organization, the Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders, Inc. (EVMWB, Inc.) also released statement condemning the dastardly act against the 3 reporters (https://m.facebook.com/story.php...)
This story awaits progress of investigation and saction as assured by the PNP Regional Command.(CJ/JMM)
This, following an incident of alleged harassment and threats of 3 Tacloban media reporters in Sitio Cancamartes, Barangay Jones, Pastrana, Leyte on July 14, 2023.
PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director, PBGen Vincent Calanoga, in one of the reports, confirmed that the PNP couple are temporarily relieved from their assigned station in Pastrana while investigation will start.
In the same report, it was also learned that included in the investigations are the Pastrana police officers who were in the responding team to the said incident.
Firearms of said police officers will also undergo ballistic examinations to pinpoint who among them has fired the shots that are audible in the video clip.
The PNP EV Director assured that deeds unbecoming of police officers will not be tolerated under his watch.
“We are dedicated to resolving this matter promptly. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct within our ranks,” PBGen Calanoga was quoted stating in a post of the Police Regional Office 8 facebook page.
THE INCIDENT IN VIDEO: (https://youtu.be/1U2ymNmhAaU) A 49-second video clip now viral in the social media shows a woman in civilian clothes (pink shirt over white short pants) grappling with, dragging and pushing (towards a rice paddie) a man in black shirt where the words “media” is written on its back.
The man in a media shirt was later identified as Noel Sianosa, a reporter of San Juanico TV while the woman in pink shirt is known to be a police officer.
Audible in the video were gunshots fired from a distance. It was at this point that the policewoman released Sianosa from her hold.
STATEMENTS FOR ACTIONS OF PROBE, SANCTION AND CONDEMNATION: The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) issued a call for probe and sanction to the erring police officers. (https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=262442729827228&id=100081845092508&mibextid=Nif5oz)
“The actions made by elements of the Pastrana Municipal Police Office in confronting members of the press who are merely doing their job of conducting an interview is totally uncalled for, unnecessary and amounted to abuse of authority and power,” said PTFoMS Executive Director Paul M. Gutierrez as quoted in the official statement.
The statement of the PTFoMs stemmed from the Alert that the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) has issued about the incident. (https://fb.watch/lPkJpVbs7e/)
Meanwhile, local media organization, the Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders, Inc. (EVMWB, Inc.) also released statement condemning the dastardly act against the 3 reporters (https://m.facebook.com/story.php...)
This story awaits progress of investigation and saction as assured by the PNP Regional Command.(CJ/JMM)
