Ex-cop dead, MPD cop hurt in hacking

MANILA, Philippines - A newly retired policeman was killed and an active operative of the Manila Police District (MPD) was wounded in a hacking incident Monday afternoon in Sampaloc, Manila.

Nerio Vargas, 59, died on the spot after sustaining hack wounds, while Police Officer 3 Basilio Ebdane, 44, who is currently assigned at the MPD District Headquarters Support Unit (DHSU), suffered stab wounds in the chest and left forearm.

However, Ebdane – a nephew of former Philippine National Police chief and now Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane – cannot be located by homicide investigators as of press time.

According to an initial report by Senior Police Officer 1 Gerardo Rivera, had it that Vargas and Ebdane were talking at around 4:30 p.m. in front of the shanties along Geronimo street – a known haven of drug pushers and other criminals – when Joseph Bermug, 30, approached them reeking with liquor and allegedly tried to extort money from them.

When the two refused, Bermug, reportedly a neighborhood toughie, left but came back later armed with a bolo and started attacking the police officers.

Rivera checked Bermug’s records and found out that he was previously arrested for robbery.

Rivera said Ebdane did not report the attack to the MPD’s homicide section and left the hospital after he was treated. He said witnesses were not cooperative and only Ebdane could shed light on the matter.

However, a source told The STAR that there was more to the police report than meets the eye. “How would someone try to extort from two policemen? Is he crazy? Is he trying to commit suicide?” the source said.

He added that the incident could be drug-related. There were allegedly reports that the two police officers used drugs and that the quarrel could have been caused by a misunderstanding.