Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) party-list Rep. Lito Atienza on Wednesday narrated a gun-toting incident perpetrated by an unnamed police colonel against his son and media personality Kim Atienza and his three cyclist-friends in Sta. Rosa, Laguna two weeks ago.
Atienza said that Kim and his three companions were pedaling their bicycles along Sta. Rosa, Laguna when the unnamed police colonel who was driving his vehicle overtook and allegedly aimed his pistol at the four victims.
“My son Kim and his group were just cycling and exercising along the highways of Laguna, biglang may nag-overtake na kotse, galit na galit. Binabaan sila, tinutukan ng baril sa mukha lahat,” Atienza, a senior House Deputy Minority Leader, said at a news conference.
Atienza said Kim and his friends later learned that the man who poked his gun on them is a police colonel.
Atienza said they chose not to reveal as of that moment the name of the Philippine National Police (PNP) official pending appropriate actions on the gun-toting incident.
He said the police colonel was pissed after Kim and his friends overtook his vehicle.
“Sabi daw sa kanila, ang yayabang nyo ah kaya nagulat sila Kim and they found out na police colonel sa Laguna. Natakot ang mga kasamahan ni Kim,” Atienza said.
Atienza said that it appears that the culture of impunity that stemmed from President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs has resulted to police abuses. He said erring policemen have been emboldened because of the bloody war against illegal drugs.
He added that Kim and his friends could have been killed and then later accused to be drugs users or pushers.
“Sakaling binaril sila Kim, lalagyan lang sila dun ng droga, a sachet of shabu and say they are all drug suspects,” he said.