JV Ejercito seeks Senate probe on incidents involving security guards assaulting civilians, animals
September 12, 2023
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has filed
a resolution seeking to investigate an incident involving a security guard
assaulting a motorcycle rider with a metal barrier and other abuses committed
by security guards.
On Sept. 6, a video of a security guard
assaulting a motorcycle rider, who was later identified as Marson Mangubat,
with a metal barrier went viral allegedly happened in Cebu City last Aug. 29.
Another security guard of a mall was again
caught on camera in what appeared to be a case of animal abuse. The puppy was
allegedly thrown from a footbridge because some kids refused to leave the
premises.
In his Resolution No. 788, Ejercito pointed
out that businesses that provide private security are not entitled to harm
another “in the guise of protecting the properties and interests of their
masters.”
“There is no place for impunity in our
society,” Ejercito said, adding that some security guards have the “illusion”
that their uniform and employment gives them the right to strike and assault
persons and even animals.
The lawmaker from San Juan said that there is
a need to look into the progress of implementation of the Philippine National
Police (PNP) and other concerned agencies on the provisions of Republic Act No.
11917 or “The Private Security Services Act.”
The law recognizes the vital role of the
private sector in the protection of people and safeguarding of property as well
as maintenance of peace and order in the country.
“The Supervisory Office for Security &
Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) of the PNP is the sole authority that regulates
the private security industry and ensures that only competent private security
personnel and professional will be allowed and deployed as a complement of our
law enforcement authorities in preservation of public order in the country,” he
said.
He added that the PNP-SOSIA must employ
elective mechanisms in educating and training security guards of the scope and
limitations of the power granted to them by their licenses, especially those
who are granted the privilege to carry a firearm.
Ejercito emphasized that PNP should ensure
that security guards are both physically and mentally qualified to perform
their duties.