MANILA - Wilfredo Gonzales, the dismissed cop who was caught in a viral video cocking and pointing a gun at a cyclist, was an employee of the Supreme Court, the high court said in a statement Wednesday.
“This is to notify the public that Mr. Wilfredo Gonzales was a coterminous employee of the Office of Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario. His employment was immediately terminated on August 27, 2023 upon discovery of the incident,” SC said, in response to queries from the media about the high tribunal’s ties to the controversial motorist.
ABS-CBN News had earlier learned through sources that Gonzales allegedly worked as a confidential/coterminous staff of Justice Rosario but waited for the Supreme Court’s official statement.
ABS-CBN News also tried to reach out to Justice Rosario’s office to seek confirmation.
The press briefer said “Justice Rosario does not condone any form of violence or abusive behavior.”
It was signed by Wilhelmina Aileen Mayuga, Rosario’s judicial staff head.
Gonzales, who had 20 years in service as a cop before his retirement in 2016, was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017 due to grave misconduct after he also whipped out a gun during an altercation.
Gonzales was seen on the viral video getting off a red sedan to confront and hit a cyclist in the head before cocking a gun at him. The video was taken on August 8 this year.
Following the recent incident, the Philippine National Police said its Firearms and Explosives Office has revoked Gonzales’ license to own and possess firearms.
The PNP Quezon City Police District has filed an alarms and scandals complaint against him, under Article 155 of the Revised Penal Code while the Senate intends to conduct its own investigation.
Speculations were rife online as to who Gonzales was working for, with some claiming he was working for the Department of Justice (DOJ) or a powerful politician.
The DOJ on Tuesday denied Gonzales was their employee.