MMDA enforcers beat up vendor
Images taken from a video posted on Facebook last Friday show MMDA enforcers punching a still unidentified vendor in Pasay City.
MANILA, Philippines — Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) enforcers are in hot water after they were caught in a two-minute video beating up a buko (young coconut) vendor in one of their clearing operations in Pasay City.
In the video posted by Facebook user Mhean Capaycapay, MMDA enforcers clad in blue and yellow MMDA shirts were beating the still unidentified vendor as they forcibly removed his cart, spilling some of the buko juice he sold.
The MMDA enforcers were also seen attempting to tie up the vendor.
“Willing naman si kuya na lumipat ng pwesto ng mapayapa, nakiusap siya sa inyo, pero ano? Itatali niyo pa? Ano siya, hayop? Maging makatao naman kayo (He was willing to move to another spot. He pleaded with you, but what did you do? Tie him up? What is he, an animal? Be humane)!” Capaycapay said.
In the caption of her video, Capaycapay said the MMDA enforcers and the vendor went to barangay hall, where the enforcers allegedly reported that the vendor was the one who attacked them during the road clearing operation.
Capaycapay’s video got more than 36,000 reactions, was shared more than 176,000 times and was viewed more than 5,000 times as of yesterday morning.
In a lengthy Facebook post, Bong Nebrija, supervising operations officer of the MMDA, said he was saddened to watch the video involving the agency’s “sidewalk clearing team” beat up the vendor.
Nebrija vowed to investigate the incident.
“For me, we need to get the statements of the people involved and an investigation board should be created to look deeper into the facts of the case. We do not encourage our teams to any kind of physical violence in our operations,” Nebrija said.
“Of course, we also do not allow any threat against us or any attempt to hurt any member of our team. If this was the case in this video, restraining the peddler would have been enough and retaliating with punches is uncalled for,” he added.
Nebrija asked the vendor to visit their office “to shed light” on the incident.
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