PNP employee caught wearing wrong police uniform

MANILA, Philippines - A civilian employee of the Philippine National Police (PNP) was arrested at the Quezon City justice hall yesterday for wearing a police uniform.

Daniel Caballero, 34, who is assigned to the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service, was transacting with court staff when he was spotted by Senior Police Officer 1 Conrad Lim.

The shoulder patches of Caballero’s police uniform bore an anahaw leaf while the sleeve patches had four lines. His nameplate identified his surname as Sali.

“His shoulder patches say he is a lieutenant while the patches on his arms indicate he is a sergeant,” Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., commander of the Quezon City Police District-Station 10, said in an interview.

Pedrozo was referring to the ranks of Inspector (the police equivalent of the military rank of lieutenant) and Senior Police Officer 1 (the equivalent of sergeant).

He said Caballero “was applying to be a policeman but I told him he could not wear the police uniform until he actually became one.”

According to Pedrozo, the suspect was also carrying two driver’s licenses: one bearing the name of Caballero and another bearing the name Azmat Isaac Sali, his Muslim name. The suspect is a Muslim convert.

QCPD director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano said Caballero is facing a case for usurpation of authority.

He said Caballero was at the justice hall, sent by a lawyer he identified only as Jun Juan to submit a medical certificate.  

Caballero told police officers he was planning to visit the office of Mayor Herbert Bautista to ask for funding for a mosque construction in Barangay Culiat.