MANILA – Senior Superintendent Elmer Jamias claimed that Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay mocked him as the head police officer in charge during the serving of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay’s second suspension order.
“I thought I was face to face with a Vice President who supported the police, but it was the opposite. He mocked my being a policeman,” Jamias said in a press conference.
“I saluted him but he didn’t return it right away. He jabbed at my nameplate and told me that my only mission was to remove him and [his] supporters from City Hall,” Jamias added, mentioning that the Vice President also accused him of harassing his son and their supporters.
Aside from Jamias, Chief Inspector Gideon Ines also claimed that Vice President Binay used force on him by grabbing his collar and his bodyguards hitting his chest. He was later on pushed some ’20 meters from the front line.’
“After that, a commotion broke out… [Vice President Binay] also threatened to remove us from the service,” Ines recalled.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will then file charges of oral defamation and assault on persons in authority against Vice President Binay and his security personnel for getting physical with the police force on Tuesday’s scuffle at the Makati City Hall premises.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) then formed a team to investigate on the alleged brawl. They were set to gather evidences and ask television networks for copies of footages of the scuffle.
“We will provide anything that would be needed by our men in pursuit of their grievances, including the services of lawyers,” Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said.
The tension between the Binay’s supporters and the policemen began when the latter tried to enforce the Office of the Ombudsman’s preventive suspension order on Mayor Binay.
The supporters, however, tried to stop the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) officers from serving the suspension order. They then pushed police barricades and threw bottled waters and monobloc chairs at the policemen.
Mayor Binay’s six-month preventive suspension order was issued while investigations on corruption allegations against him and his family were still ongoing.
The mayor, however, refused to acknowledge the suspension order and remained in his office.
Vice President Binay’s camp, on the other hand, denied accusations of the police force saying, there was ‘no truth that the security personnel hurt some police officers during the incident’ as they ‘acted with restraint and focused their efforts to ensure the safety of the Vice President.’
According to reports, several people were injured in the fracas including five civilians and three policemen.