2 MPD Patrolmen Caught on Video Allegedly Blocking a Motorist Along Taft Avenue Dismissed From Service
Two Manila police officers involved in a viral road-blocking incident along Taft Avenue last February have been dismissed from the service by the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM).
In a statement on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, NAPOLCOM said its en banc unanimously voted to dismiss Patrolmen Algrene Ar-ar Mirano Alcause and Jerome Caballa Toledo of the Manila Police District (MPD), GMA News reported.
The two cops were found guilty of Less Grave Irregularity in the Performance of Duty and Conduct Unbecoming of a Police Officer. According to the commission, the officers’ own admissions, the viral video and the patrol vehicle’s preventive maintenance report established their administrative liability.
NAPOLCOM said it imposed the penalty of dismissal because the incident exposed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to nationwide ridicule.
The case stemmed from an incident on February 5, when the two patrolmen, aboard a marked MPD Ermita Police Station vehicle, allegedly cut off and blocked a motorist near the Philippine General Hospital. The video, which was shared online by vlogger James Deakin, showed the patrol vehicle staying in front of the motorist while the traffic light was green and only moving as the light was about to turn red, Inquirer.net reported at the time.
The officers initially claimed that they were responding to a call for assistance and that their vehicle had suffered mechanical trouble. However, the maintenance report of the patrol vehicle contradicted their claim, and the two later retracted their explanation and publicly apologized.
NAPOLCOM Commissioner Atty. Rafael Vicente Calinisan earlier expressed his dismay that the officers lied when they personally appeared before the commission, Daily Tribune reported.
“Kung sa mismong Commission ay nagsisinungaling sila, paano pa natin maaasahan na magiging tapat sila sa taumbayan?” Calinisan said.
(If they lie to the Commission itself, how can we expect them to be honest with the public?)
Calinisan said the decision is part of the commission’s efforts to restore public trust in the police through stricter accountability. NAPOLCOM said it will continue to use its disciplinary powers to make sure that police personnel remain accountable to the public.
