The director of the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group resigned after his son was seen hitting a trainee.

The director of the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) has resigned following an incident in which his son, also an HPG officer, was filmed repeatedly hitting a trainee during a graduation ceremony. In a statement, the national police force confirmed that PBGen. Clifford Gairanod had stepped down “to pave way for a fair investigation” into the incident, which has been widely circulated on social media. Gairanod said in a subsequent interview that hitting new graduates firmly on the chest with their badge was a traditional part of the ceremony, but his son continued to hit the trainee even after the man said it was too hard. Gairanod resigned along with the rest of the training team involved in the incident, pending investigation.