QC sacks enforcer who beat up fish vendor in April
MANILA, Philippines — The village watchman filmed beating up a fish vendor with a stick in Barangay South Triangle for not wearing a mask has been removed from the Quezon City local government for the past month.
This was confirmed by Quezon City legal officer Niño Casimiro, a lawyer, in a phone call with Philstar.com.
READ: QC to investigate 'local authorities' caught on video beating man lacking face mask
"He has already been dismissed. We’ve removed him from service. After hearing his side, the city legal decided to terminate his service to the city," Casimiro said.
Immediately after videos of the incident went viral, Laurel was placed on a 60-day suspension.
A spot report from Kamuning Police Station 10 said that police elements were approached by a Barangay Public Safety Officer asking for assistance in dealing with Michael Rubuia, 38.
Police said Rubuia failed to present his required quarantine pass and a face mask once he was approached and instead attempted to flee, prompting officers to chase and later corner him along Panay Avenue.
The police report did not mention the beating, which was captured on the viral video.
According to Casimiro, Rubuia was still unsure about whether or not to proceed with filing a criminal case.
"The criminal case would depend on him personally, but the city handled the administrative aspect of the grave misconduct, which merits dismissal from government service once proven," he added.
In the video, Rubuia was also carried by four men into a white van while an onlooker yelled: "You're abusing your power. You shouldn't be beating another human being."
According to Casimiro, the other enforcers involved in the beating were slapped with "minor sanctions."
"There were three involved Task Force Disiplina members, and what we saw in the video was that [Laurel] was the one hitting him. After investigation, the proven participants that should merit the sanctions is Laurel," he said in a mix of Filipino and English.
In its earlier statement, Quezon City said that city authorities "found to have acted unlawfully or improperly shall be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
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