SPD anti-drug chief denies link to Bilibid 'hulidap' cases

MANILA, Philippines - The head of Southern Police District (SPD) anti-drug unit yesterday denied any involvement in the rampant kidnapping of moneyed visitors at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa.

“ Like what I’ve said, if I feel any iota of guilt I should not (have been) reacting (like this). I will just wait for any sanction to be imposed upon me,” Superintendent Raymund Liguden said. “In the end, we are not afraid of any investigation that will be conducted.”

Liguden, who heads the SPD’s District Anti-Illegal Drugs (DAID), issued his statement following a STAR report on the reported “hulidap” of visitors to the NBP.

Two cars used by Liguden and three other vehicles belonging to his unit were tagged by the NBP as “plate numbers obtained by the victims.”  These are a black Ford Escape (TCO-659); a red Nissan Exalta (WTU-575); a silver Mitsubishi Pajero (VDK-945); a gray Mitsubishi Lancer (NOW-517); a red Honda sedan (model not provided but with plate number ZHL-887).

Liguden said the NBP report was “malicious” and a “personal attack against him.” He also denied owning the vehicles, saying these were “only pawned” to him.

The document, obtained by The STAR, is under investigation by the SPD after the plate numbers matched the DAID’s vehicles, provided for in their “pre-operation” forms.

He insisted that he does not know why his vehicles were included in the NBP report, particularly the Pajero, which he said was only pawned to Police Officer 1 Anthony Gil. He also said Gil never joined any operation in Muntinlupa.

“We suspect that somebody just copied it (from the coordination form) to implicate us. I’ve never been to Muntinlupa since I assumed office last November except when the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) raided Ayala Alabang (last January),” he said.

“What is suspicious here is, the order of the plate numbers in the report is exactly the same with our pre-ops forms,” he added.

An investigator privy to the issue said the NBP “has nothing to gain” in providing the plate numbers because the probe into the hulidap cases was only initiated after the National Capital Region Police Office received information about at least 25 visitors to the NBP being kidnapped – allegedly by police officers – since 2006 and then threatened with detention or a lawsuit in order to extort money from them. The report stated that 11 of the cases occurred in 2011.