3rd QC cop accused of extortion surfaces

MANILA, Philippines - The third policeman accused of extorting P15,000 from a call center agent surfaced yesterday, a day after he and his two colleagues were relieved of their post and charged before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office.

Police Officer 1 Benjie Tan went to his superior, Superintendent Virgilio Fabian, commander of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 5.

Tan, who is facing a complaint for robbery-extortion before the fiscal, will be reassigned to the administrative holdings section of the QCPD and put on floating status, said QCPD director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano.

QCPD deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao said the “pre-charge sheet” against Tan and Police Officers 1 George Verbo Jr. and Thomas Jansen Tulio would be forwarded to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), which would decide what administrative sanction would be meted on them.

Extortion is considered a grave offense and could be punished with dismissal from the police service, just like the case of SPO4 Jose dela Peña, who was accused of extorting money from a son of NCRPO chief Director Leonardo Espina last year.

Call center agent Salustiano John Douglas accused the policemen of arresting him on false drug charges and extorting P15,000 from him.

On Thursday, Espina relieved Tulio and Verbo. The two policemen as well as arrested police assets Jerry Sorra and Domingo Mendaro underwent inquest proceedings the same day.

The inquest fiscal recommended the filing of criminal charges in court against Verbo, Sorra and Mendaro and set bail at P100,000 for each of them.

As for the complaints against Tulio and Tan, the fiscal recommended that these be subjected to further investigation.