Retired Philippine National Police chief and current Metropolitan Manila Development Authority general manager Nicolas Torre III criticized the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for what he described as “trial by publicity” in handling a police officer involved in a viral road altercation along C-5 in Pasig City.

In a social media post, Torre called out Napolcom Commissioner Ralph Calinisan for allegedly making premature judgments before formal administrative proceedings had begun on policemen against whom complaints had been filed.

“You are supposed to judge administrative cases, not act as a prosecutor in a media circus,” Torre said in a mix of Filipino and English.

The controversy stemmed from an incident in which Staff Sgt. Erwin Lagua was caught on video pushing motorcycle rider Vincent Cayanes to the ground, drawing widespread backlash online.

Torre argued that the public narrative lacked context, claiming that the rider had provoked the officer before the confrontation. This became apparent when a longer video from the rider’s own 360-degree camera was uploaded.

Netizens were livid that the Cayanes had the gall to “bully” a uniformed cop even if the latter had already made several attempts to go his way. Cayanes was seen chasing the cop and nagging him, at times honking at him relentlessly.

A lawyers’ group had offered to represent the cop after seeing the entire video, which Calinisan seemed to ignore. Presently, there is a snowballing public clamor for the Land Transportation Office to revoke the Cayanes’ driver’s license.

Netizens said if Cayanes can bully a cop then he must have been doing so with impunity when dealing with fellow civilian riders.

Calinisan not only berated the cop during a press conference he called, only the latest in what has become his habit, but also pressured police officials to upgrade the criminal complaint against the police officer to frustrated murder.

In reaction, Torre questioned the impartiality of the process, saying authorities appeared more focused on appeasing public sentiment than ensuring due process. Others said Calinisan seemed “starved for media mileage.”

DAILY TRIBUNE was trying to get Calinisan’s reaction at press time.

“What kind of adjudicator are you if, from the very beginning — before hearing the full side of the story — you are already holding a press conference and clearly saying the policeman is at fault?” he said.

Torre’s remarks came after Calinisan raised the possibility of the cop’s immediate dismissal from the service even before a formal hearing was conducted.

Calinisan also threatened the investigator and the chief of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group with sanctions over the initial charges they filed against the cop.

While acknowledging that police misconduct should not go unpunished, Torre warned against turning police officers into “convenient sacrificial lambs” to satisfy public opinion.

He stressed that administrative discipline should be based on a full evaluation of evidence, including CCTV footage and witness accounts, rather than “headlines” or “noise.”

“If the system is truly fair, let evidence decide — not headlines, not noise, and certainly not ambition disguised as righteousness,” Torre said.