Parañaque task force members suspended after man hurt during clearing ops

Five members of a task force in Parañaque City have been indefinitely suspended after they were caught on camera forcefully apprehending a man during a clearing operation in Baclaran last week.

Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the task force members should have extended "maximum tolerance" to Warren Villanueva, who collects and trades garbage for a living. A video of the altercation between the two parties last Friday, January 22, was caught by a bystander in a cellphone video.

"Indefinite 'yung suspension noong lima kasi hindi natin puwedeng kunsintihin 'yung mga ganoong abuse of authority pero magkakaroon tayo ng thorough investigation muna doon," he said in a report on GMA's "24 Oras Weekend" on Sunday.

"Ang protocol natin no'n, bibigyan muna sila ng notice niyan. Kapag 'yan talagang naka-fixed structure, bibigyan sila ng written notice. Kapag naman sa mobile naman, 'yung mga talagang parang may gulong eh pinagsasabihan muna natin sila na sila na mismo ang magtanggal," he added.

Villanueva said he refused to surrender the items in his mobile cart as this was for his income, and the task force should not have used force.

"'Yung kariton na nakita sa video na inagaw ko, 'yun po 'yung pinagpapatungan ng basura tapos inaano ko, kaya po umabot sa 'pag ganon kasi gawa ng nasa private property na namin, hindi na dapat nila kunin," he said in the same report.

"Sana medyo ano lang, hindi naman 'yung marahas na alam naman na galing tayo ng pandemic tapos ganon, 'dun lang tayo kumukuha ng kinabubuhay natin tapos bigla bigla silang susulpot mang-aagaw ng paninda, mang-aagaw ng gamit," he added.

The five members of the task force who remained unidentified may face charges of grave abuse of authority and conduct unbecoming of a public official.

"Palagay ko eh hindi naman ganun ka-kriminal 'yung tao. 'Yung area naman, kumbaga sa ano, e di i-pacify lang nila. Kahit nga isang tao puwedeng ano 'yan, hindi unang-una hindi naman nanununtok, hawak niya lang iyong kariton niya. 'Yung ano, dapat iyon, pinaliwanagan na lang nila," said Martin Diño, Undersecretary at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News