QC police block highway for VIP; OVP says it's not Sara

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Thursday denied social media posts saying that a portion of Commonwealth Avenue was temporarily blocked by the Quezon City police to allow the convoy of Vice President Sara Duterte to pass.

The OVP issued a statement after a police officer said a VIP would cross the area, as seen in a video posted on X (Twitter) by former Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casino.

“May dadaan po tayong VIP. Si VP. Ko-cross lang po saglit,” the policeman said.

(There's a VIP who will pass by. The VP. [The convoy] will cross for a few minutes.)

Casino said the video was sent to him by an ex-military man.

Sinarado ang isa sa pinaka busy na kalsada sa bansa dahil tatawid ang isang ViP? Grabe naman yan.

Sent to me by an ex-military man. pic.twitter.com/hybUl2vo9y

— Teddy Casiño (@teddycasino) October 5, 2023

However, the OVP said Sara Duterte is in Mindanao for the World Teacher’s Day celebration and other activities.

“The Vice President did not ask QCPD and will never ask government agencies, including law enforcement bodies, to carry out actions that would inconvenience the public or cause them harm,” the OVP said.

“The viral video is spreading injurious information that is purely grounded in falsity,” it added.

Duterte called on the Quezon City Police District to conduct an investigation and hold all those responsible accountable for their action, “including the liability of the person who took the video and maliciously appended the traffic stop to the Vice President.”

She said the QCPD should rectify its error and publicly disclose the VIP involved in the road closure.

In a statement posted on its social media page, the QCPD Public Information Office apologized for the inconvenience brought to motorists. 

"The said incident stemmed from a confusion and lapse in judgement of our policeman manning the traffic during that time. It appears that our policeman overreacted when he stopped the traffic for a few minutes, because of misleading information he overheard," it said.

The policeman involved in the incident said he "mistakenly heard the word VP, hence, he decided to clear the traffic as a sign of courtesy and security," the statement added.

It also said that Duterte has no engagement in the area.

“Pero kung papanoorin po natin ang video, 'yung uploader ang nagbanggit ng pangalan na VP Sara," Police Lieutenant Colonel May Genio, station commander of Police Stations 14, said.

(But if we will watch the video, we will see that it was the uploader who mentioned the name of VP Sara.)

"I have ordered the relief of my policeman and put him under investigation to determine administrative liability for his actions. We assure the public that this incident will not happen again," Genio added.

There was no mention, however, in the QCPD statement about the identity of the VIP involved in the road blockade. —LDF/KG, GMA Integrated News