‘Magic Eye’ ends Pasay cop’s mulcting racket

Thanks to the Magic Eye program, a traffic policeman has been arrested for extorting P300 from a jeepney driver in Pasay City.

Operatives of the Counter Intelligence Special Unit (CISU) collared last Friday PO3 Clemente Orpilla, assigned at the Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG) of the Southern Police District (SPD), after receiving marked money from jeepney driver Ernie Rodriguez, 30.

Prior to Orpilla’s arrest, Rodriguez and fellow drivers, aware of the "Magic Eye" program that rewards informants of crimes and police abuse, reported the mulcting operations of traffic policemen at the corner of Tramo and Andrew Street in Pasay City.

Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco, who conceptualized the Magic Eye program, directed Superintendent Arnold Aguilar to coordinate with the complainant for the speedy arrest of mulcting cops in the said vicinity.

Aguilar’s men rode with Rodriguez on his jeepney, taking the route where mulcting operations by traffic policemen were reported.

Aguilar said Orpilla flagged the jeepney down and accused him off reckless driving while demanding his driver’s license.

The traffic policeman informed Rodriguez of the penalty of the said violation, but claimed that Rodriguez can have his driver’s license back in exchange for P300.

Rodriguez handed over the marked money to Orpilla, who was immediately nabbed by CISU operatives after the driver gave the pre-arranged signal.

Orpilla yielded the marked money. He did not resist arrest.

The suspect was brought to the CISU headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig where he is currently detained.