Nestor Punzalan is preparing to file a case against Top Gear Philippines for posting a photo of his car, implicating him as the man who shot dead a bicycle rider in Quiapo, Manila.
“Di puwede yung sorry, sorry na lang. Grabe ang ginawa nila, dapat silang managot,” Punzalan said, as reported by GMA’s “24 Oras” on Wednesday, July 27.
The motoring publication’s editor, Vernon Sarne, already issued an apology on Facebook for posting Punzalan’s red Hyundai Eon, which was identified by the authorities as the car make and model that was involved in the Quiapo road rage incident on Monday night that killed cyclist Mark Vincent Geralde. The apology came after it was later revealed that there was a mix-up in the reported conduction sticker on the Eon car used by the suspect in the killing of the bike rider. Punzalan car’s sticker was MO-3746, while that of the suspect was a pretty close one, MO-3745.
After Punzalan’s name and Facebook profile and photos were circulated online, earning him threats from netizens, he went to the National Bureau of Investigation to clear his involvement in the shooting.
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GMA News Online reported that medical tests showed that Punzalan did not have bruises on his body, which presumably one would have after engaging in a fistfight. The real suspect in the road rage incident engaged in a fistfight with the victim He also tested negative on gun powder burns. His car did not have any scratches or marks that would have been a sign that he was involved in the incident with the bike rider.
The NBI and Manila Police district already clarified that Punzalan was not the suspect that they were looking for.
According to Punzalan, he was traumatized after his name and photos went viral online, touting him as a killer.
“Paparatangan nila akong killer? Parang sobrang natrauma po ako… Sa mga message or sa comments nila, medyo parang gusto na rin nila ako patayin which is nakakatakot,” he said.
Punzalan’s lawyer, DJ Jimenez, said that the Top Gear PH editor committed cyberbullying.
“Yung tinatawag natin na civil liability, puwede silang managot sa husgado para hindi na sila tularan. Liable siya sa Cybercrime Prevention Act dahil para itong isang form ng cyberbullying,” Jimenez said.
According to GMA News Online, Top Gear has not yet issued a statement regarding Punzalan’s plans of filing a case against them.
But Twitter has erupted with responses to this news, many comments of which were encouraging Punzalan to push through with the case and teach Top Gear Ph a lesson.
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