Crackdown vs hulidap cops launched

Police have launched a crackdown against the so-called "hulidap" cops, following reports that cases of "arrest and extortion" of men in uniform are on the rise.

Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region, has directed Western-CIDG chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut to address the "damaging" perception since according to him "hulidap" cases are increasingly becoming a major "headache" of the Philippine National Police.

Such illegal activity was once more magnified with the foiled attempt of policemen, one of whom identified himself as a CIDG operative, to snatch a Muslim trader for trumped-up charges on Aug. 14 in Port Area, Manila.

Verifications conducted by Yabut showed that SPO1 Wilfredo Aquino is not an organic member of the CIDG. "Aquino’s assignment at the CIDG has been nullified after he failed to report at Camp Crame. So his affidavit stating that he is a CIDG operative is not correct," Yabut said.

Aquino, together with SPO3 Ramon Petalver and PO3 Virgilio Juanillo of the PNP’s Police Security Office and PO3 Jordan Villanueva of Manila Police District’s Detective Beat Patrol, are now facing charges of illegal arrest, carnapping and physical injury filed by several Muslim traders.

The four policemen reportedly tried to abduct one Usman Macasalong at the Port Area Shopping Center last Aug. 14 on drug charges. The Muslim traders sought the assistance of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza to put a stop to the alleged arrest and extortion activities of some "unscrupulous" policemen.

Arrest and extortion racket or "hulidap" in police parlance are on the rise as revealed by Filipino-Chinese community and Muslim traders, according to Yabut.

Using this modus operandi, these unscrupulous policemen arrest a victim and even bring him to the police station where he is threatened with charges unless he comes up with an amount.

The Filipino -Chinese community has bewailed that although kidnap-for-ransom may have slightly gone down, cases of police extortion are reportedly on the rise.

Yabut reminded all CIDG operatives to abide by guidance on the existing police policy, directives and standard operating procedures on all police operations to effectively and efficiently carry out their tasks in accordance with laws.

He stressed that respect for human rights shall be of paramount importance and that the police should strictly adhere to the PNP operational procedure.

Maximum coordination with concerned agencies and territorial PNP units to include non-government organizations and all sectors of the community for the success of the anti-crime strategy is encouraged to avoid the preconceived notion that the operation is meant to harass the target personality, according to Yabut.

To stem the rise of "hulidap" cases, Yabut said that all related police operations must be covered with pre-operations clearance, after which, all operating teams shall submit a written report after the operation. – Nestor Etolle