Cheyenne Suarez

PNP probes shooting incident reported by ACT Teachers Rep. Castro

Article (news)

Michael Delizo

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17340638263991734063824816.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro. Photo from the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Righs website, FILE"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. France Castro. <em>Photo from the Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Righs website, FILE</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED)</strong> —  The Philippine National Police (PNP) is looking into the alleged unreported shooting incident involving House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro in Makati City, which the lawmaker views as personal threat to her safety, given the previous threats made by former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte.</p><p>Police BGen. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, said criminal and administrative cases will be filed against police personnel who may be found to have been involved.</p><p>&quot;If indeed totoo po &#x27;to (this really happened), but I have to check first the incident,&quot; Fajardo told reporters.</p><div><strong>WHAT WAS THE SUPPOSED INCIDENT?</strong></div><p>Rep. Castro of the ACT Teachers Party-List on Thursday told the House of Representatives quad committee that she encountered a shooting incident, which she initially said occurred in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.</p><p>However, an inquiry revealed that the incident actually took place along Makati Avenue in Makati City.</p><p>Castro said the incident happened around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, when two police officers in a marked car that was positioned in front of the vehicle she was in got out in response to a motorcycle rider who moved near them.</p><p>The lawmaker told her colleagues Wednesday she was baffled that a supposed police officer fired his weapon while there were many civilians around who might get hit.</p><p>&quot;Tingin ko ay hindi tama ito dahil sa gitna ito ng mga sibilyan, at traffic po ito so maraming sasakyan,&quot; she said.</p><p>(I do not think that was right because there were civilians and we were in heavy traffic, so there were a lot of vehicles on the road)</p><div><strong>LEGITIMATE OPERATION?</strong></div><p>Castro acknowledged that the incident may have been a legitimate operation but that even if it was, the police personnel involved could still have broken safety protocols.</p><p>&quot;So, kung may ganyan pala na legitimate ‘yun, pero kumbaga, hindi tama ‘yung pamamaraan, ‘yung engagement… So, sorry na lang, collateral damage ka, ganoon na ba ‘yung magiging mangyayari?&quot;</p><p>(Even if that was legitimate, that was not the proper way to do it. If something were to happen, &#x27;Sorry, youre collateral damage&#x27;. Is that how it is?)</p><p>She said that even if police were responding to a crime, it was still wrong of police to use their guns because of the risk to civilians in the area who could also be caught in the crossfire.</p><div><strong>POLICE OFFICIALS RELIEVED FROM POST</strong></div><p>Police BGen. Anthony Aberin, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director, has ordered an investigation into the matter, including why the Makati City Police Station did not file a report on the alleged incident.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/12/makati-police-officials-axed-from-posts-over-shooting-incident-1757">Makati police officials axed from posts over shooting incident<br/></a></div><p>Police officials from the Makati City Police Station, including the chief of police and the commander of Sub-Station 6 (Poblacion), have been relieved from their posts to ensure an impartial investigation into the alleged unreported shooting.</p><p>&quot;NCRPO would like to assure everyone, especially Hon. France Castro, that it will uncover the details of what happened. If any members of the NCRPO are found to have violated policies, they will be held accountable and penalized accordingly,&quot; the capital police said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AbwVu0GhZlA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Police BGen. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, said criminal and administrative cases will be filed against police personnel who may be found to have been involved.</p>

Police BGen. Jean Fajardo, spokesperson for the PNP, said criminal and administrative cases will be filed against police personnel who may be found to have been involved.