Task force to probe shabu tiangge cops

Metro police chief Director Reynaldo Varilla created yesterday Task Force Talipapa, which would look into allegations by a government witness that 22 policemen were in the payroll of Muslim trader Amin Imam Boratong, the alleged operator of the dismantled shabu "tiangge" in Pasig City.

Varilla directed the task force to expedite the resolution of the cases against the 22 officers so they can be dismissed from the police service if the claims are proven true.

"My directive was to speed up the investigation into the matter so we can institute severe punishment if they are proven guilty," Varilla said in an interview.

The Metro police chief pointed out that there was a need to organize a task force to look deeper into the criminal and administrative cases involving the 22 policemen, who were implicated by witness Samer Palao, 37, in the alleged drug peddling activities of Boratong.

"Palao’s revelations involve not only drug trafficking, but possibly money laundering, terrorism and violation of the law against graft and corrupt practices," Varilla pointed out.

He named Chief Superintendent Rey Roderos, deputy chief for administration of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), as commander of Task Force Talipapa.

Named members were Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., head of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management (RIDM); Senior Superintendent Ricardo Marquez, NCRPO intelligence chief; Senior Superintendent Clarence Guinto, head of Plans and Training; Chief Inspector Isagani Aguas, of the criminal investigation branch, and Chief Inspector Enrique Agtarap, chief of the pre-charge investigation as secretariat.

Members of Talipapa would meet for the first time tomorrow to allocate tasking among operating units of the NCRPO, which include the Regional Intelligence Special Operations Office (RISOO), Counter-Intelligence and Special Unit (CISU) and the RIDM.

Invited to attend the meeting were representatives from the Directorate for Intelligence (DI), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AIDSOTF).

Rojas said they would issue orders to relieve the 22 policemen from their present assignments and report to the Regional Headquarters Service Group (RHSG) so they can submit themselves to probers. They will also be disarmed, he said.

"Our effort would first focus on drug trafficking then murder, terrorism and money laundering. As we go on, other angles would surface and we will dig deeper into those," he added.

In a five-page statement taken by NCRPO investigators, Palao pointed to Boratong and his wife Mimie as behind the operation of the shabu tiangge located on F. Soriano street in Sitio Mapayapa, Barangay Sto. Tomas.

Earlier, the witness claimed the 22 policemen received weekly payola from Boratong of amounts ranging from P2000,000 to P300,000 depending on their rank and assignments.

Being the former right-hand man of Boratong, Palao said he personally delivered envelopes containing cash.

After the shabu tiangge was raided by government agents last Feb. 10, a senior inspector allegedly called up Boratong and told him that the raiders had left and he could he could get rid of evidence like shabu and firearms.

The official received P20,000 every Saturday from Boratong, Palao claimed.