Dismissed traffic enforcer arrested for extortion

A traffic enforcer recently dismissed for his reported rampant extortion activities was finally caught in the act by police authorities while extorting a motorist in Pandacan, Manila on Monday.

Aside from robbery-extortion, Michael Abad, 30, will also be facing charges of usurpation of authority after he was caught still wearing a uniform of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau despite having been dismissed from service, according to Pandacan police station chief Superintendent Abad Osit.

Osit said he was on patrol along President Quirino Avenue near corner Zamora street in Pandacan when he noticed a commotion between Abad and a tow truck driver.

Bartolome Guia, a driver of RR Towing Services, complained to Osit that Abad stopped him and asked for the licenses of his vehicle. When Guia showed xerox copies of the documents, Abad allegedly insisted on the original copies and demanded money from him. Guia said he gave P500 to Abad but the latter asked for a bigger amount and threatened to issue traffic violation receipt.

At the police station, Osit verified that Abad is no longer a personnel of the MTPB and that he was dismissed for extortion activities on drivers of cargo trucks and vans passing along Quirino Avenue and Plaza Dilao in Pandacan.

Meanwhile, Osit announced the recent arrest of one of Pandacan’s most wanted persons allegedly responsible for a series of holdup incidents in the area. The arrest of Ryan Umali, of Gomez st., Paco, was covered by a warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 25 Judge Aida Rangel-Roque.   – Nestor Etolle