2 Caloocan ‘kotong’ cops named, sacked

MANILA, Philippines - The Caloocan City police yesterday named two police officers who were seen reportedly collecting protection money or “kotong” from drivers who illegally park their trucks along C-3 Road and Dagat-Dagatan Avenue.

Police Officer 2 Facundo Mirasol Jr. and Police Officer 1 Renante Diangga have been relieved and assigned to the city police’s administration office pending the result of an investigation into the allegations against them, Superintendent Joselito Bermejo said in his report to city police chief Senior Superintendent Bernard Tambaoan.

Northern Police District deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Pierre Bucsit earlier ordered Tambaoan to identify the police officers in patrol car 169 and charge them with robbery extortion after residents complained that the policemen were receiving P50 to P500 from truck drivers who violate traffic rules.

Bermejo said what aggravates the situation was that Bucsit himself witnessed the two policemen receiving protection money shortly before midnight on Dec. 6.

Sources said that the police officers had been on “nightly rounds” to collect protection money from drivers whose trucks were parked along the two main roads, causing traffic jams in the area.

During their confrontation with Bermejo, Diangga admitted that he was the driver of the patrol car but denied knowing about Mirasol’s “activities,” saying he was “busy (refueling) at a nearby gasoline station.” Mirasol failed to air his side on the allegations, Bermejo said.

Tambaoan told The STAR that the relief of the two police officers and the subsequent filing of charges will serve as a warning to all their personnel and “show that we are determined to clean our ranks of scalawags.” 

Some residents along Dagat-Dagatan Avenue and C-3 Road had been complaining about the truck drivers’ blatant disrespect for traffic rules and bragging that “they are paying for their space.”