Nine police officers from Tipas Police Substation in Taguig have been relieved from their posts following a viral video showing them allegedly conducting an operation without an arrest warrant.
In a report by RH Noche Cacas, the incident occurred on February 9 in Barangay Napindan, where men who introduced themselves as police officers entered a home and forcibly took alias "Nora" and her daughter with them.
Nora claimed that the police presented an alleged arrest warrant, but it had no court signature. Despite their protests, they were forced to ride in the police mobile.
The CCTV camera installed in the sari-sari store was also destroyed by the officers.
The police told Nora they were taking them to the barangay hall, but to their shock, the vehicle bypassed the barangay hall. Fearing for their safety, Nora intentionally jumped out of the moving vehicle, followed by her daughter, who sustained a head injury.
In an interview with Cacas, Nora said that aside from being arrested without a warrant, they were also robbed.
"Kulang-kulang na 80,000 [money lost], yung GCash ko 12,000, cash in po. Yun pong pera na pinagbilhan sa tindahan 7,000, pera ng anak kong nasa wallet 2,500, yung pera ng anak ko sa bag, 55,000 sa negosyo niya sa pagpapautang," said alias Nora.
Nora stressed that the incident caused them extreme fear and trauma.
The relief of the officers was ordered by National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin on Tuesday.
Aberin said the decision to relieve the police officers, including their immediate supervisor, was made to ensure an impartial and comprehensive investigation following the release of the viral video.
"The NCRPO will be merciless against erring police personnel who will be proven to have committed human rights abuses and other irregularities in the recent incident in Taguig City, going viral in social media," Aberin said in a statement.
"There is no room for abuses in NCRPO, and we will ensure that justice will be served," he added.
