Kneeling down in penance

By Jude Josue L. Sabio .

IT was not a movie clip, but an actual close range shooting captured live on video. The shocking Tarlac incident of a Paranaque policeman in the act of shooting to death in point blank range went into mainstream news after the video hit the social media, causing public outrage and an outpouring of grief and public uproar expressed through social media.

I came to know and see the video after I finished composing my article “A cry from the heavens” published in this paper on 22 December 2020. I made that article late in the morning of 21 December 2020 and sent it by email to the editor in the afternoon. It was immediately afterwards that my wife saw the video on social media and then showed it to me.

Something bizarre struck me. The Greenbelt incident treated in my article “A cry from the heavens” coincided with the Tarlac incident. Our confrontation of police corporal Charles Marquez happened at about past 3 pm. Our conversation with the Greenbelt security chief, retired Lt. Col. Andog, happened immediately after said confrontation.

It was at about past 4:30 pm that my wife and I were settling down and having coffee at the mall when something at one of the café tables fell onto the floor and shattered to pieces, emitting a loud breaking sound of shattered glass.

Later accounts on social media reveal that at around the same time in Tarlac, Jonel Nuezca shot Sonia Gregorio and her son Anthony Gregorio, as she was in a tight embrace of his son in an image akin to the Pieta.

The symbolism is powerful. In two separate but somewhat connected incidents, Charles Marquez was brought to his knees, but Jonel Nuezca brought two defenseless people instantly dead to the ground by multiple gunshots.

When I featured my wife Jo ann’s cry in the article “A cry from the heavens,” she only said that her cry was for the poor, hapless people who have fallen victim to police abuse but have no power to bring them down to their knees like Marquez.

Little did I know then — and I realized only after knowing of the video and reflecting on the events — that my wife Jo ann’s cry at the café at past 4 30 p.m. was not only for victims of police abuse whom we do not know.

Instantly, her cry came to apply to two identified victims of police brutality. The almost simultaneous occurrence makes me wonder about the immediate, real connection. The cry must have been for Sonia and Anthony at the very moment of their instant death.

These two events bring to the fore an earlier similar incident in Butuan City that centers around Wilfred Ejos who is currently the barangay chairman of Ong Jiu. This incident also involves policemen.

I came to know of this incident because one of the victims, Rodelyn Indonto, came to know me at the time I resided in Butuan City from February 2014 up to March of 2015. She is one of the victims in this incident. She contacted me for legal assistance.

Based on the victims’ version of events that was sent to me by email, the incident happened at about past 7 p.m. on 8 October 2020 inside the private residential compound and house of Rodelyn at Ong Jiu, Butuan City.

At about said time and date, Ejos suddenly burst into the private residential compound, kicking and barging through the gate along with four policemen in uniform led by police officer Crispolo T. Alburo.

Ejos and his police companions broke into the private residence while Rodelyn and her friends were inside said residence.

Rodelyn Indonto, Marco Maputi, Judelyn Rodriguez and Angel Quingco were gathering and conversing just outside the door of Rodelyn’s house, while Mila Felicilda was napping on the sofa inside the sala of the house.

Like a king who violated the castle of Rodelyn, Ejos immediately and arrogantly issued edicts for the police to arrest all of them.

But the police refused, reminding him that they were just inside the private residence, and they were not quarreling and not causing alarm and scandal in a public place.

They heard one police identified as Rivera saying that Ejos should just be left alone because he was already drunk.

Strangely, like a blood hound, Ejos smelled the blood of Mila Felicilda, asking if she was present.

Not satisfied with Rodelyn’s response that she was sleeping on the sofa, Ejos commanded his police to go inside the house, search for and arrest Mila Felicilda.

But his police refused. Ejos continued the violation of domicile when he actually breached and entered the house through the front door, in the presence and full view of, and without asking for permission, from Rodelyn.

In a daring and bold move like that of a king who can do no wrong, Ejos went straight to Mila Felicilda, woke her up by shaking her body and holding her chest, and accosted her.

He did not bother to get hold of Judelyn Rodriguez who was on another sofa in the sala opposite Mila Felicilda. Judelyn Rodriguez had entered the house as soon as she noticed Ejos and the police entering the compound.

With the indispensable assistance of the police, Ejos unlawfully arrested Mila Felicilda and Marco Maputi and brought them to the police patrol car waiting outside the residential compound.

I was informed by Rodelyn that it took so long for them to bring Mila Felicilda due to her dogged refusal. It was only at about past 10 pm that she was prevailed upon to go along.

Still not satisfied with his drunken lust for power as if he were a king in medieval times, Ejos commanded his police to arrest Rodelyn and Angel Quingco.

But for another time his police refused his royal edict.

Marco Maputi and Mila Felicilda were hauled off by the police in their police patrol car to, and held in police custody at, the police station 2 at Langihan.

They could do nothing but to follow authority on the pain of being charged with resistance to or assault upon a person in authority.

Meantime, Rodelyn, who then was just wrapped by a towel after a bath with her hair still wet, quickly slipped into her clothes and later followed to the police station along with her husband Rey Olano, Judelyn Rodriguez and Angel Quingco.

At the police station, the police just waited for Ejos to arrive, and in collusion with Ejos, the police unlawfully manipulated them to execute a false document.

All of them were told by the police that they would be imprisoned for three days for a supposed criminal offense.

Using this as a pretext, the police pressured them to just sign the trumped-up, false Notice of Violation for a purported curfew violation, making it appear that they violated a curfew when in truth and in fact they did not.

The police resorted to this pressure tactic ostensibly to convince them to sign the trumped-up Notice of Violation in exchange for dropping a non-existent supposed criminal offense and for preventing the incarceration for three days.

Just in order to free themselves from an unlawful arrest and detention, they had no choice but to sign the trumped-up, false Notice of Violation, as an act of self-preservation.

The incident happened about less than three hours before the curfew time of 10 pm in Butuan City.

Later, instead of withdrawing the false notice of violation, Ejos lodged a criminal charge of alarm and scandal against Rodelyn and her three companions, even if they were just inside that private residence.

Mirroring Marquez’ humble penance by kneeling down, the four policemen accompanying Ejos positively responded to my letter addressed to their station commander, Capt. Amado. In my letter, I denounced them, urging them to tell the truth and stand by the law.

They did. They decided to talk to me. In a long cellphone conversation facilitated by Rodelyn, I heard two of them pointing directly to Ejos as the only culprit in the unlawful incident, including the trumped-up, false curfew violation. They confirmed their readiness to surface and to pin down Ejos.

I laud these policemen who stand by the law and denounce lawbreakers like Ejos. In this same light, I am calling on Mayor Lagnada of Butuan City to force Ejos to resign from his office. He does not deserve even one day more in his office.

I am also calling on barangay chairman Wiflred Ejos to emulate police corporal Marquez. Short of kneeling down in penance, Ejos can do justice to his honor by giving up his post.

To serve as an example for all public officials, high or low, he should also bring his knees down to the ground in humble penance as he leaves his office in shame.