Army, PNP officers punch guard to enter BFHEVA

Two senior officers of the Army and Philippine National Police forced their way into an exclusive subdivision in Parañaque City shortly before midnight last Friday, punching a village security guard and threatening to shoot him and his companion if they did not allow them entry.

The two were identified as Col. Ceferino Tannagan Jr. of the Philippine Army’s elite Special Forces Unit (Scout Rangers) and his brother, PNP Superintendent Caezar Tannagan, reportedly assigned to the Quezon City police force.

Vilmar Tipay, 35, of the security force of the B.F. Homes Executive Village Phase 5 (BFHEVA) in Parañaque City, told The STAR yesterday that the two officers arrived at the main entrance of the village at Abelardo corner Concha Cruz streets at 11:05 p.m. last Friday in a blue Honda Civic with plate no. WRE-358, driven by Ceferino Tannagan. They were in civilian clothes.

However, Tipay said he and his companion, Willie Cahilig of the Safari Security Agency, refused to allow the visitors in because the village guards had earlier been instructed by a BFHEVA resident, Marijo Reyes, 47, of 067 R. Palma St., not to allow them entry. According to the guards, Reyes was a close friend of Ceferino Tannagan and they allegedly had a spat earlier and she refused to see him.

Tipay said the police officer, who was seated at the passenger side alighted from the car and berated them, introducing himself as a police official of Quezon City. When the guards stood their ground, Tipay claimed that Caezar Tannagan grabbed him by the throat and punched him in the right eye.

At this point, Tipay said the driver of the car reached for a caliber .45 pistol in the car and pointed it at them, threatening to shoot them while shouting "Ayaw mo ba kaming papasukin (Don’t you want to let us through)." Tipay said he and his colleague ducked for cover allowing the brothers to raise the boom and drive straight to the residence of Reyes.

After about half an hour, the Army officer drove off but apologized to the two security guards for their behavior on his way out. He was followed shortly by his brother who walked out of the gate.

Shortly past midnight, Tipay said he proceeded to the Community Hospital to have his eye treated and then headed to the Parañaque police station to file a complaint. The guards had earlier reported the incident to the chairman of the BFHEVA security committee, Glenn Regala.

Tipay said he would file charges against the two officers for abuse of authority, grave threats and slight physical injuries to serve as a lesson to top officials who throw their weight around.

The STAR tried to contact the two officers but they were not immediately available.