3 NAIA cops face extortion raps

Three police officers assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are now in hot water for allegedly extorting money from a 55-year -old Japanese national last week.

Criminal and administrative charges are now being readied against Senior Police Officers 1 Jovy Cabico, Danilo Pangilinan, and Police Officer 2 Orlando Tanega.

All three are with Philippine National Police – Aviation Security Group and have been relieved.

Manila International Airport Authority assistant general manager for security and emergency services, Angel Atutubo, immediately confiscated their identification cards and passes after the Airport Police Department - Police Investigation Section completed its investigation.

Cabico, Pangilinan, and Tanega were sacked after a Japanese national, Ogata Tomeo, accused them of stealing P35,000 from him.

In their report, Corporal Robert Bagaoisan and Lieutenant Demetrio Sison Jr., said robbery-extortion charges will be lodged against the three before the Office of the Ombudsman.

According to them, the incident happened on the morning of March 8 at the final security check area of NAIA - Terminal 2.

Tomeo said he was on his way to take his flight to Fukuoka, Japan when two policemen asked him for a 1,000-yen tip at the first security check of his luggage.

He ignored them and later one of the policemen, identified as Police Officer 3 Lorenzo Salvador, followed him to the immigration counter.

On the final security check area, Tomeo said, he placed his shoulder bag, shoes, and his belt at the x-ray machine and underwent a body check.

It was then that two male and a female police officers inspected the contents of his shoulder bag and saw that he was carrying Philippine pesos.

Tomeo said he was informed that the money was illegal but when the victim asked why, the police officers gave no explanation, only saying "dame dame" which means "no" in Japanese.

Since the complainant could not speak Filipino, he said he asked that he be allowed to make a phone call and even showed a police ID card given to him by his brother’s girlfriend, but he was again told "dame dame."

Tomeo explained that the money he was carrying was for his next trip to the Philippines but was still denied a phone call.

"Scared of what was happening, the complainant said that he would agree to go to jail but the officers brought him to a place that he described to have less people and then pointed to his bag and told him ‘peso,’" Bagaoisan stated in his report to the Police Intelligence and Investigation Division (PIID).

"He thought he had to give them a tip so he pulled P200 from his bag but the female officer said ‘no’ and told him ‘peso, P35,000’," he added.

Bagaoisan said the victim eventually gave the three police officers the money and was told "Thank you, sayonara, OK, OK, Fukuoka Japan OK." The police ID he showed them was returned.

However, Tomeo returned to Manila on March 11 and – with his brother and the latter’s wife acting as interpreters – airport officials conducted a re-enactment of the supposed robbery-extortion incident the following day.

"Before the re-enactment, an initial inquiry was conducted wherein Ogata sketched the places where he passed through and the place he was intimidated and taken from him his P35,000," Bagaoisan’s report said.

"The re-enactment that followed confirmed what Ogata earlier declared and further pointed to the uniform of the PNP which he described to be the clothing worn by the officers who took his money," the report added.

In coordination with 1st Police Center for Aviation Security chief, Senior Superintendent Efren Labiang, and deputy chief Superintendent Adriatico Del Camat, security camera footage were reviewed and policemen who were on duty that day were summoned for a police lineup.

Tomeo identified the three police officers as well as Salvador and PO1 Hanley Michael Ilustre as the ones who asked him for a tip at the first security luggage check area.

He cleared Salvador and Ilustre because they were not actually involved in the alleged extortion. But they were still placed under technical arrest for their conduct.