A son and his father, both politicians from Iloilo, are now under fire and face charges after allegedly beating up and threatening a police officer yesterday morning.
Iloilo 1st District Representative Oscar “Richard” Garin Jr. allegedly hit Police Officer 3 Federico Macaya of the Guimbal Municipal Police Station several times at the town plaza at around 3:20am, GMA News reported.
There with Rep. Garin was his father, Guimbal town Mayor Oscar Garin Sr.
According to the same report, the two politicians summoned Macaya before disarming and handcuffing him and taking his belongings.
Macaya said that Rep. Garin allegedly slapped him and spat on his face and that Mayor Garin allegedly held him at gunpoint using a .45 pistol, Panay News reported.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office 6 director Chief Supt. John Bulalacao has said that he plans to file charges for physical injuries, alarm and scandal, direct assault against an agent of person in authority, and grave coercion against Rep. Garin.
Mayor Garin, on the other hand, will face charges of grave threat, the same GMA News report states.
Yesterday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte also told Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to file charges against the Garins, ABS-CBN News wrote.
“I’m ordering him to file a case against the two. The father and son? The father and son are too much,” Duterte told reporters in English and Filipino.
Rep. Garin has apologized for the incident through a statement yesterday, saying he takes “full responsibility” for his actions, The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
However, the same report says that the lawmaker does not actually specify what he’s saying sorry for.
“I reiterate my apologies for my actions which I take full responsibility for.
“But I would like to clarify that my earlier actions are not directed to the [Philippine National Police] as an institution, or against its officers and personnel.
“My actions were a mere display of extreme frustration towards one, single PNP personnel whom I perceived committed a great disservice to the people of Guimbal,” Rep. Garin said in English and Hiligaynon, as quoted by Inquirer.
Chief Supt. Bulalacao has removed the two politicians’ police escorts and will request the National Police Commission to remove Mayor Garin’s police powers, Rappler reported.
The same report states that Bulalacao plans to relieve the Chief of Guimbal police “for not taking action to help his personnel.”
