MANILA, Philippines – Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Special Operations Group-Strike Force head Gabriel Go publicly apologized on Thursday, April 3, to a Quezon City police officer following a viral confrontation over illegal parking.
“I sincerely apologize to you. It was not my intention for such an unfortunate incident and interaction to occur,” Go said in a press conference at the Department of the Interior and Local Government-National Police Commission building on Thursday, April 3.
“Emotions should not be placed in our heads. It’s not the right thing to do. Respect for each other should be our top priority,” Go said in mix English and Filipino. He also said that he will remind traffic enforcers to be “more humanistic” in their approach.
The viral video showed Go confronting Quezon City Police Captain Erik Felipe, who owned one of the motorcycles that were illegally parked in front of the local police station during a road clearing operation in Barangay Teachers Village East.
Earlier, Felipe said that he will file a complaint against Go for violating the data privacy act. Go, however, clarified during the press briefing that the viral video did not come from him but from a private individual.
Go, known for his videos of road-clearing operations and his calm enforcement of traffic rules, has gained nearly half a million TikTok followers, as of writing.
Sitting beside Napolcom chief Rafael Vicente Calinisan, Go also extended his apology to the Philippine National Police (PNP). Calinisan accepted Go’s apology.
Calinisan earlier criticized Go for supposedly “shaming” the cop and “filming it for the views.”
Calinisan said that what happened between Go and Felipe is a story of both the PNP and MMDA.
“The offense was not just done to captain Felipe. The offense was done to 225,000 strong members of the Philippine National Police — both active and retired,” he said.
“I hope the (police) uniform is given respect. Being a police officer is very difficult,” Calinisan said. “Let’s show a little courtesy to the uniform worn by our police officers.”
Calinisan, for his part, said that the recent incident is a reminder to the police to comply with the law.
“Just because someone is a police officer doesn’t mean they are exempt from the law. No one is above the law. We follow it,” Calinisan said.
The MMDA said that it has already issued a show cause order to Go.
“Doing our job is challenging and most of the time frustrating, but this is not an excuse to violate our policies or protocols. Our commitment to serving the public must remain unwavering, amid difficulties and adverse public reactions,” MMDA Chairman Don Artes said in a statement.
In the same statement, Artes described Go as a “dedicated MMDA enforcer.”
Following the incident, Senator JV Ejercito resurfaced a June 2023 sexual harassment complaint filed against Go.
“At the time of his rehiring, no case had been filed against him. No formal or sworn complaint, nor any supporting documentation related to the matter, was submitted to the MMDA Committee on Decorum and Investigation,” Artes said. – Rappler.com