Manila cop tagged in road rage shooting faces ax, murder raps

MANILA, Philippines - National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Alan Purisima ordered yesterday summary dismissal proceedings against a Manila policeman who allegedly killed a seaman during a traffic altercation last Wednesday.

“A policeman like him deserves not a single minute of continued stay in the police service,” said Purisima, referring to Senior Police Officer 3 Vidal Bolaños, 52.

Purisima directed Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla to file appropriate charges against Bolaños before the city prosecutors’ office.

“We will speed up the dismissal proceedings against Bolaños so that other policemen would not follow his bad example,” the NCRPO chief said.

Rongavilla has directed the MPD’s internal affairs service to start summary dismissal proceedings against Bolaños, who is also facing murder charges before the Manila prosecutor’s office.

Bolanos, who still has four years of service before his mandatory retirement at 56, will lose all his benefits if summarily dismissed, Rongavilla said.

Bolaños, of the Intramuros police community precinct, surrendered Friday and invoked self-defense in the killing of Danilo Gray, 34, of Las Piñas City.

Gray was driving his Toyota Vios (VDZ-443) when his vehicle was rear-ended by Bolaños’ car, a Mitsubishi GLXI Lancer (UEC-374), at the corner of M.H. del Pilar and Salas streets in Ermita.

Witnesses said a man who introduced himself as a policeman became angry when Gray’s companion tried to take photos of the damage from the collision, shot Gray and drove off.

Bolaños said he was forced to shoot the victim because his companions ganged up on him. Gray died in a hospital due to a gunshot wound in the chest.

Bolaños said he threw away the murder weapon, a locally assembled .45 caliber pistol, somewhere in Manila Bay.

Records at the Land Transportation Office showed that Milagros Alvarez is the registered owner of the vehicle driven by the suspect, but Alvarez said she already sold the car to Bolaños for P70,000 early this year.