Prank crime foiled when real cop shows up

Several vloggers are facing complaints for their April 6 prank in which they pretend to be kidnappers, causing a police officer to draw his weapon and respond to the fake crime.

According to Jun Veneracion’s “24 Oras” report on Friday, the bonnet-wearing pranksters alighted from a car along a Las Piñas City street and pretended to kidnap someone.

While panicked locals fled from the scene, Police Staff Sergeant Ronnie Conmigo of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, who lived nearby, showed up with a gun.

One of the vloggers tried to calm Conmigo down and explained it was all a prank.

“Hanggang sa nagsabi na lang na, 'Sir prank ito! Prank ito!' Gumaganoon sa akin. Medyo nahimasmasan ako. Sabi ko, madidisgrasya ko pa ang mga ito,” Conmigo said.

(Until he said, "Sir, it's a prank! It's a prank!" It calmed me down. Thankfully, I did not hurt anyone.)

Conmigo, who has been in the service for 26 years, was angry as he almost harmed the vloggers because of their prank.

“Kung iba po yun sakaling trigger happy yung pulis o may iba pang hindi pulis nabaril sila,” he said.

(If it was someone else, a trigger-happy police officer or an armed civilian, they could have been shot.)

Conmigo filed complaints against the five vloggers for alarm and scandal over their prank.

“Para hindi na po maulit yung ginagawa nila sir kasi maraming gumagaya pangit din sa mata ng bata yun tsaka napaka delikado sir,” he added.

(To prevent copycats. It sets a bad example. And it's dangerous.)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) warned that such pranks could lead to criminal cases.

“Binabalaan po natin yung mga vloggers at yung mga pranksters na wag po nating gawing biro ang mga vlogs and pranks about sa paggawa ng krimen sapagkat yan ay may kaukulang parusa sa revised penal code article 153, ito po ay nagkakaroon ng kulong, may kulong po ang penalty dito na anim na taon,” Police Colonel Redrico Maranan, PNP Chief PIO, said.

(We are warning vloggers and pranksters that we should not turn crimes into laughing matters because there are penalties. In the revised penal code article 153, they might end up in prison. There is a penalty of six years in prison.)

The kidnapping prank video has 990,000 views on Facebook and almost 549,597 views on YouTube.

GMA Integrated News is still seeking the side of the vloggers.

The vloggers have been uploading prank videos on their social media platforms for some time. They said the videos were only for “good vibes.”

In a separate video, the vloggers shared that they were scared when the police officer pointed his gun at them.

However, they would continue to post more videos, though they would be more careful from now on. — Richa Noriega/DVM, GMA Integrated News