Manila cop arrested for robbing fisherman

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila Police District (MPD) policeman was arrested Thursday afternoon after allegedly robbing a fisherman in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

MPD General Assignment and Investigation Section operatives, led by Police Officer 3 Pete Flores apprehended PO2 Jessie Villanueva as he was having his motorcycle fixed at the corner of T. Mapua and Remigio streets in Sta. Cruz.

Complainant Nilo Reyes, 38, a fisherman from Bataan, said Villanueva and a companion allegedly accosted him at around 3:30 a.m. near the Light Rail Transit’s Carriedo station. He said they beat him and told him he had been caught with a sachet of shabu.

Reyes said he went all the way from Bataan to Divisoria to buy clothes for his family, apparently to avoid the Christmas rush.

He said the two men brought him to Divisoria, where they threatened to kill him, then brought him to Bustos street near the Sta. Cruz church. Villanueva and his companion reportedly took his P5,000, a Seiko diver’s watch worth P8,000 and his cell phone, Reyes said, adding that the suspects told him he would be harmed if he reports the incident.

Reyes said he sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) but was told to go to the MPD since the suspect was a police officer. At the MPD, the victim identified Villanueva from 10 sets of pictures of Manila policemen shown to him.

String of complaints

In September, Jerry Orgilles of Sta. Maria, Bulacan filed charges against Villanueva for allegedly arresting him for carrying two “bayawak” or monitor lizards and demanding P20,000.

Orgilles told Senior Police Officer 2 John Cayetano that the suspect arrested him after he got off a bus in Sta. Cruz, Manila because he was in possession of the lizards that he was about to bring his uncle as gifts.

He said Villanueva brought him to the Arranque market, where the policeman sold the lizards for P3,000 and took all the proceeds. Orgilles said Villanueva took him to the Alvarez community precinct and told him he will be charged unless he coughs up P20,000. He said the suspect released him when he realized he could not come up with the money.

Villanueva, PO3 Frederick Pastor and Barangay 253 Zone 23 chairman Joel Amores were also accused by businessman Juanito Tan of illegally releasing Ernesto Cortez, who was the subject of an arrest warrant for issuing a bouncing check.

Villanueva’s police identification card was also found in the possession of two Manila policemen who were allegedly involved in hijacking and were killed in a shootout in Cavite last October.

Villanueva was silent on the allegations against him. Investigators said he will also face administrative charges and may be suspended or dismissed from service.