Courtesy: QCPD
BRIG. Gen. Nicolas Torre III has submitted his resignation as Quezon City Police District chief in the wake of criticism for holding a press conference with a former policeman who pulled out a gun on a cyclist during a road confrontation.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has also ordered an investigation into the actions of the Quezon City police.
Torre, speaking over dzRH on Wednesday, said he has asked to be relieved of his post to pave the way for an impartial investigation.
He said he realized that the heat is on him because of the way he handled the press conference and the subsequent exchange of words in interviews with various sectors.
“I deem it proper and necessary to actually relinquish my position already and just ask for clearance from my superiors to be relieved from this position,” he said.
By stepping down, the incident could be investigated properly without a cloud of doubt, he said.
Torre also explained that the press conference came about because the former police officer, Wilfredo Gonzales, appeared at his office after he ordered his men to look for him because of the viral video.
Prior to Gonzales’ arrival, the media were already at his office because they wanted to get his comment on the viral video.
When they learned that Gonzales was in Torre’s office, they asked him for permission to interview Gonzales.
Torre said that in hindsight, he “could have done it better” instead of bringing Gonzales to the conference room and joining him at the press con.
He said his thinking at that time was that Gonzales was under his custody. But the impression created was that he was protecting Gonzales and giving him a platform to speak up, which was far from the truth, he said.
He noted that after assessing the matter, the Quezon City police have filed an alarm and scandal complaint against Gonzales in the absence of the cyclist
Netizens who had criticized the press conference with Torre and Gonzales said it sent the strong signal and made it appear as if the agency was protecting one of its own.
Gonzales had said that he and the cyclist had settled matters between them, and called on vloggers to be careful about posting videos without knowing the whole story.
But lawyer Raymond Fortun said the cyclist was just forced to agree to the settlement.
