Four policemen from the Sampaloc, Manila police station’s anti-illegal drugs unit were transferred to the Manila City Jail Friday after the city prosecutor’s office found probable cause to charge them with planting evidence, a non-bailable offense.
Chief inquest fiscal Nelson Salva also found the four criminally liable for robbery-extortion and set a P100,000 bail for each of them. They may also be charged with qualified bribery.
According to Superintendent Nelson Yabut, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) of the Manila Police District (MPD), the prosecutors found Sampaloc anti-illegal drugs unit head Chief Inspector Resty Nicandro, Senior Police Officer 1 Maurito Reneido, PO2 Christopher Pantaleon, and PO1 Victorino Salao “to have conspired in inserting… a plastic sachet of shabu in the wallet of Jesusa Manalangsang who the accused cops arrested together with Jennifer Capuso for drug charges.”
The four policemen reportedly forced Jesusa’s mother, Leonor, to pay P40,000 in exchange for her daughter’s release.
Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales ordered the arrest of the four policemen after the Manalangsangs personally informed him of their alleged extortion activities.
After having been detained for more than two weeks at the MPD’s integrated jail, the accused policemen were remanded to the Manila City Jail following a commitment order from Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 Judge Juan Nabong Jr.
Three other policemen who allegedly conspired with Nicandro in his extortion activities, identified as SPO1 Benedicto Llorica, PO2 Jesus de Leon and PO1 Ernesto Pacierto, have been absent without official leave since Oct. 30.– Nestor Etolle