HPG chief quits amid sex raps

MANILA, Philippines —  Brig. Gen. Jessie Tamayao resigned yesterday as Highway Patrol Group (HPG) director post after a policewoman accused him of sexual harassment.

Tamayao said his resignation should not be equated with admission of guilt, but a demonstration of his commitment to due process.

“To ensure a fair and transparent investigation, I have decided to resign effective immediately,” Tamayao said in a statement.

His resignation stemmed from a complaint filed against him by a policewoman with the National Police Commission.

In a five-page affidavit, the policewoman said Tamayao invited her for a “sexual activity” and touched her buttocks.

According to the complainant, Tamayao threatened to reassign her to Mindanao if she refused his sexual advances.

She said the police general took her cellphone and read her messages and conversations from her social media accounts.

Tamayao allegedly threatened to use the contents of her cellphone against her should she report the incident to his predecessor, former HPG chief and now Calabarzon police director Brig. Gen. Hansel Marantan.

Tamayao assumed the HPG post on March 10.