DILG directs probe into barangay tanod's shooting of man in Tondo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered the Philippine National Police to look into a barangay tanod’s shooting of a man, reportedly a curfew violator, in Tondo, Manila.
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, also department spokesperson, said in an interview with GMA’s Unang Balita that Interior Secretary Eduardo Año directed the PNP to investigate the report.
The STAR reported that authorities nabbed Cesar Panlaqui for the shooting of Eduardo Geñoga, reportedly a scavenger, who was found dead with a gunshot to the body along Tayuman street.
According to GMA News, the shooting happened past 9 p.m., past the enforced curfew in the capital. Panlaqui also said he warned Geñoga who was banging gates. He said he shot the latter as self-defense.
Police said they recovered the gun from the suspect.
Malaya said the police will look into whether Panlaqui has permit to carry the firearm and whether the gun was licensed.
“As we have always done in many instances, if the barangay tanod did wrong, we will file charges against him. We will not tolerate wrongdoing or abuse of barangay tanods in this time when they enforce protocols in [enhanced community quarantine period],” the DILG official said in Filipino.
This is not the first time authorities have been accused of abuse in implementing protocols amid lockdown.
In April 2020, Quezon City police manning a quarantine checkpoint shot to death Winston Ragos. A year later, Darren Manaog Peñaredondo, an alleged quarantine violator in Cavite, died after being force to do 300 rounds of pumping exercises.
Metro Manila and some other provinces reverted to ECQ this month, amid rising cases of COVID-19 infections and the threat of the more infectious Delta variant.
Data from the PNP showed that between Friday — the first day of ECQ in the capital region — and 4 a.m. on Saturday, police apprehended, fined, and warned 20,511 citizens for violations of public health and safety guidelines in the so-called NCR Plus bubble. — Kristine Joy Patag with reports from Franco Luna
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