Six Caloocan cops suspended for illegal arrest

Chief drug buster Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay suspended yesterday the six Caloocan City policemen who figured in an alleged dubious anti-illegal drugs operations against a Muslim businessman in Pasig City last Friday.

Aglipay directed Senior Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, Caloocan City police chief, to "confine to barracks" PO3 Joel Borda, PO2 Atyusto Rama, and PO1s Renato Ameng, Raymund Boco, Joel Cosme and Roger Giulagin to prevent them from influencing the case.

"I’m ordering their suspension to erase suspicion of a whitewash in the investigation of the case," said Aglipay in an interview.

The six Caloocan City policemen are being investigated on the strength of a complaint of Khalid Macmac, 48, a businessman, residing at Block 1, Lot 19, Garden Royale Villa in Barangay Pinagbuhatan.

According to reports, the policemen flagged down Macmac in Barangay Palatiw last Friday but failed to show any arrest warrant for the businessman.

Aglipay said the six policemen will be recommended for summary dismissal if found violating the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) standard operating procedure on conducting raids.

Aglipay’s move brought to 13 the number of operatives of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) suspended for involvement in dubious raids since Interior and Local Government Secretary Joey Lina ordered a thorough cleansing of the anti-drugs units of rogue cops.

Last March 29, seven AID-SOTF members of the Taguig police were also suspended for violating the PNP’s standard operating procedure in the arrest of one Palaez Maradang, also of Garden Royale Villa.

"The suspension of the 13 anti-drug agents should serve as a warning that we are dead serious in carrying Secretary Lina’s directive to rid our ranks of rogue cops," said Aglipay. — With Pete Laude