“Tao lang tayo (We’re only human).”

PO1 Jose Julius Tandog, the Mandaluyong City policeman who was caught on video repeatedly hitting two arrested men with a nightstick, maintained that he was only retaliating for the verbal and physical assault he earlier suffered when he accosted them for drinking on the sidewalk.

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But Tandog’s excuse may not be enough to save him from sanctions, starting with a reassignment to battle-scarred Marawi City. The same fate awaits his buddy PO1 Chito Enriquez, who was also seen on the video drawing his pistol as he watched the beatings.

Around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, the two officers found Mac Glen Villanueva and Marvin Calda having a drink on the sidewalk in Sitio Tres, Barangay San Jose, in violation of a city ordinance.

According to Tandog, Villanueva and Calda cursed him and Enriquez—“insulting our uniform”—when told of their violation, and that one of the men also slapped him in the face.

This forced the officers to take a photo of the two and bring them to the barangay hall, where a furious Tandog lashed at them with a yantok nightstick that belonged to one of the village watchmen.

Apology

Unknown to the officers, one of the arrested men was able to take a cell phone video of Tandog as he went berserk. The clip, which was later shown in a GMA news report and has since gone viral, showed Tandog striking them at least 17 times.

The two officers were later relieved of their posts, with Tandog apologizing in a TV interview and promising to pay for Villanueva and Calda’s treatment. They remained under restrictive custody at the National Capital Regional Police Office as of Thursday.

They will soon be reassigned to Marawi City, according to Mandaluyong police chief Senior Supt. Joaquin Alva.

The transfer was also announced in Camp Crame by Philippine National Police spokesperson Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, who said PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa was enraged by what he saw in the video and rushed to the Mandaluyong city police headquarters late Wednesday night.

“He (Tandog) will face administrative charges. If he’ll manage to evade criminal charges, we will make sure he answers the administrative charges. The intention of the chief (Dela Rosa) is to deploy him to Marawi where he can show his bravery.”

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“This is sad. We are embarrassed because we have many good officers and yet there are still policemen like these who do not deserve to be in our ranks.”

According to an incident report filed by Tandog, Villanueva and Calda violated City Ordinance No. 628 “resulting in a direct assault upon agents of authority.”

In an interview, Enriquez maintained that he did not hit any of the arrested men but admitted being at fault when “I didn’t do anything to stop Tandog.” He said he was saddened by his upcoming transfer to Marawi as he would be separated from his wife and two children.

In cop’s defense

The 30-year-old Tandog, who has a partner and has no children, said he was willing to face the consequences of his actions.

Two Barangay San Jose watchmen—Renato Alvarez and Noel Caldito—have executed affidavits in defense of Tandog, saying the viral video didn’t show the whole picture.

In an interview, Alvarez said Villanueva and Calda, whom he described as members of the Tau Gamma fraternity, were “so disrespectful (that) our policemen just snapped (nagdilim ang paningin). They were really drunk.”

“This would not have happened if they were respectful and compliant. But they insulted (the officers),” Alvarez said.

But Alva said: “Let’s not talk about whether they did not respect the police. That’s not the issue. The issue here is the police response. Policemen should know how to deal with stress and disobedience. They should be able to exercise maximum tolerance.”

Villanueva and Calda were expected to file a complaint against Tandog for physical injuries on Thursday, Alva said.

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