MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City Police District will relieve and file cases against police officers accused of catcalling a woman along Katipunan Avenue last week.
In a press briefing Thursday, Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, district director, identified the two officers as PO2 Rick Tanguilan and PO1 Domingo Cena.
They will be charged criminally for violating City Ordinance 2501, which penalizes catcalling and harassment.
Tanguilan and Cena will also be administratively charged for conduct unbecoming of police officers.
SPO1 Ariel Camiling will also face an administrative charge for dishonesty as he misled the investigation by claiming that he was the one in the patrol car instead of the two subordinate officers.
Eleazar told Philstar.com that QCPD will not tolerate macho culture, and will instead correct it.
He also encouraged victims of sexual harassment to come forward.
“We want the public to approach us if they have grievances. How can we act on complaints and correct them if we are not informed about them?” Eleazar said.
Eleazar met with the victim Xandi*, 21, and her mother to identify the cops inside the police patrol car.
READ: Woman to sue catcalling QC cops
Last week, Xandi took to social media her experience of being catcalled by Quezon City police officers.
She said she was on her way home when a black QCPD mobile unit stopped in front of her and a cop in the passenger's seat rolled down the window and stared at her.
Xandi then heard a whistle coming from the car, which was keeping pace with her while she was walking.
When she stopped walking, the QCPD mobile unit also halted about 10 meters from her.
Last year, the QCPD local government passed an anti-catcalling ordinance to penalize street-level harassment of women.
Under the measure, light violations, such as cursing, catcalling, repeatedly asking the subject for a date or her contact number, or taunting a woman with constant talk about sex, which tend to ridicule, humiliate or embarrass the woman, are punishable with a fine of from P 1,000 to P5,000 or a jail term of up to one month.
Stalking, making offensive mouth, hand or body gestures with the intention to demean or threaten a woman are considered medium violations with the same range of penalties.
Severe violations include acts such as unnecessary touching, pinching or brushing against the subject’s body; public masturbation or lascivious exhibition directed at a woman, and inserting any object into the genitalia, anus or mouth of any person whether of the same or opposite sex.
READ: QC cracks down on catcalls, other forms of harassment