Foreigner in Dasmarinas Village resists arrest over alleged quarantine violations, cops prepare charges
The chief of the Makati Police on Monday defended his personnel after a video circulated online where a cop who was arresting a foreigner for allegedly violating quarantine rules in Dasmarinas Village last Sunday went viral.
Police Col.Rogelio Simon said the man, identified as Javier Parra, resisted arrest and told the cops to get out of his house. Charges are being prepared against Parra.
Simon said the incident transpired around 5:04 pm on Sunday inside Dasmariñas Village where police patrolling the area saw a maid watering plants outside the perimeter of a home without a face mask.
“(A)police officer politely introduced himself and advised the house maid to wear her face mask for her safety. A minute after she went inside the house to get her face mask, with no apparent reason someone from inside the house identified as Mr.Javier Parra and his wife went outside,” Simon told reporters in a Viber message.
Simon said the video they have, which was not released by the news agency who acquired the alleged second part of the incident, showed that Parra was cursing and pointing fingers at the cop for coming to his house. Parra was said to have told the policeman they violated a city ordinance.
“Mr. Parra argued regarding the advice of the police officer and even challenged the authority how to properly implement ECQ (enhanced community quarantine). At that time said Bantay Bayan managed to document the situation using his mobile phone camera, making the foreigner at that time, berserk and uttered unsavory words and even humiliate the police officer,” Simon said.
He added that Parra had no shirt, no face mask and seemed to be drunk.
Simon said barangay officials of the Dasmarinas Village who requested for police in their area to check if residents are following city ordinances and the ECQ after reports that there are a lot of violators in their area.
On the allegation that they entered the house of Parra, Simon in a TV interview said when police officers tried to arrest him, Parra tried to enter his house and resist arrest which he said was shown on the video shared by the family.
“It came to the situation that the police officer decides that he (Parra) already committed violations like unjust vexation, disobedience to authority and he also cursed at them. That’s why he was being arrested… on the second video uploaded by the family, it was shown that he was resisting arrest that’s why (we are) ready to file a case against Mr. Parra,” he said.
On the allegation of the foreigner about the police officer asking for P1,000 from them, Simon reminded Makati residents that not wearing masks outside their residence has a fine of P1,000 based on the city ordinance released by Mayor Abigail Binay.
“It appears that we are extorting the housemaid. This is what mentioned in the story… that is a bit (of) bad impression on us because we are just implementing the different ordinances here in Makati,” he said.
“In Makati City, first offense for not wearing face masks is P1,000, second offense is P3,000 and third offense is P5,000 with appropriate complaint,” he added.
Cases for violation of Republic Act 151 or Disobedience to a lawful person in authority, unjust vexation, direct assault, Republic Act 11332 and Makati City Ordinance 2000-089 or not wearing face mask has been prepared against Parra and his maid.
The Makati City government and the Philippine National Police (PNP) said they will investigate the matter.
This is not the first time that police were accused of entering a private area and harassing people. A police officer from Taguig City is also under investigation after he was accused of entering a condominium and allegedly shouting at residents who are not reportedly following ECQ guidelines. Ella Dionisio/DMS
