Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday strongly urged Quezon City Police District Director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan to reinstate relieved cop Executive Master Sergeant Verdo Pantollano.
Belmonte made the call following the statement made by Acting MMDA Chairman Rolando Artes that giving courtesy to VIPs in using public roads is normal.
Artes said: “We extend courtesy, especially to the President and Vice President because they have security concerns and not for anything else, privilege and entitlement.”
He added that the courtesy also applies to foreign dignitaries like heads of state visiting the country. The MMDA would arrange a traffic management plan to avoid traffic jams.
Belmonte said that she did not react at first when the policeman was relieved because she was under the impression he had committed wrongdoing by stopping traffic.
But she decided to speak up when the MMDA made the clarification, and when she noticed that they did not relieve nor take any action against the MMDA personnel seen in the same viral video.
“Following the clarification made by Chairman Artes, I feel that an injustice was committed and must be rectified, regardless of who the VIP was. The cop must be reinstated as he was just doing his job,” the mayor said.