Police official denies hitting truck driver

CEBU, Philippines —   A police official has denied mauling a truck driver over a traffic accident in Argao town last week.

Police Col. Robert Lingbawan, provincial director of Siquijor Provincial Police Office, however, admitted reprimanding the driver for refusing to disembark from the truck despite him already introducing as a police officer.

“Nagalit talaga ako kase ang lakas ng impact sa sasakyan namin, ang mga anak ko pagulong-gulong sa loob ng van at iyak ng iyak dahil sa takot nila sa nangyari. Lumabas ako, naka tsinelas lang ako eh, nagpakillala ako na police at sinabihan ko siya na bumaba kase naka bangga sya, eh ayaw nyang bumaba dahil tawagan pa daw nya ang amo nya na isang police,” Lingbawan said, adding that it was the bystanders in the area who hit the truck driver.

“Nuon lumabas na siya yung mga bystanders na ang sumapak sa kanya, may video ako nakuha dyan,” Lingbawan added.

The police official said it was him who pacified the bystanders and called the chief of police of Argao to ask for traffic investigators.

Lingbawan said they were asked to go to the police station but agreed to settle amicably on the following day. According to Lingbawan, he was surprised to see a post on social media from the wife of the truck driver claiming that her husband was mauled by the police official and that the Argao Police Station refused to entertain their complaint.

The allegation is now being looked into by the Cebu Provincial Police Office. In a statement, however, Argao Police Station denied the social media post.

It was allegedly the complainant who failed to come back to file the formal complaint. — FPL (FREEMAN)