Man Who Confronted Soldiers in Posh Makati Village Will Be Charged by Police

A man living in a posh subdivision in Makati was physically accosted by police officers for allegedly defying enhance community quarantine (ECQ) guidelines. 

Video footage making the rounds on social media captured Makati policemen trying to restrain a resident of Dasmariñas Village. In a police report obtained by Esquire Philippines, the resident was identified as Javier Salvador Parra.

According to the report, Dasmariñas Village barangay chairperson Rosana Hwang requested police officers to regularly conduct checks inside the gated subdivision to ensure that residents were strictly following ECQ guidelines.

On Sunday afternoon (April 26), the police officer identified as Roland Madrona and a “Bantay Bayan” named Esteban Gaan approached the Parra residence after they saw a helper watering the plants outside the house without a face mask on.

The helper reportedly went inside the house to get her face mask. It was at this point that Parra emerged from the house and started arguing with the police officer.

“Hence, Mr Parra argue (sic) regarding the advised of the police officer and even challenge the authority and how to properly implement ECQ,” the report said.

In the video, taken by Parra's wife, Parra can be heard telling the officers that he was a decent citizen and that he had a right to complain as a citizen. He also told them to go to Tondo in Manila instead of his house.

Makati police chief Col. Rogelio Simon, in a report on ABS-CBN, said that it was at that point that Madrona attempted to arrest Parra for being belligerent, but Parra resisted and fled inside the house.

Parra’s wife can be heard telling the police officer that they needed a warrant to arrest her husband. She also informed the police that Parra had a severe back injury.

“Does Makati police not have better things to do, like stop real criminals?” Parra said in an interview with Rappler. “If there was no camera running, would he perhaps have shot me, like the police man did with the mentally challenged man few days ago?”

Parra was referring to the case of Winston Ragos, who police gunned down while allegedly violating ECQ in Quezon City last week.

A second video, however, this time taken by Gaan, shows the police officers calmly talking to Parra, who admitted that he had been drinking before coming out of the house. The resident could then be heard hurling invectives against the police officers and started becoming belligerent. This part was not shown in the first video. 

Simon said the police intends to file charges against Parra for disobeying authorities.

Makati Mayor Abby Binay has also called for a full investigation into the incident.