4 Manila cops probed for ‘hulidap’

MANILA, Philippines - Four members of the Manila Police District (MPD) are under investigation for “hulidap,” an official said yesterday.

Senior Police Officer 1 Renato Ablaza; PO3 Ruel Aguilar; PO2 Patrick Guevarra, and PO2 Ronald Robles of MPD Station 8 are facing robbery and extortion charges, MPD general assignment section head Chief Inspector Arsenio Riparip said.

They will also be charged with grave misconduct, an administrative case that may lead to their dismissal from the service, Riparip said.

The suspects ignored the order for them to show up at MPD headquarters to explain their side, he added.

Complainant Michael Hingpit, 38, said the suspects arrested him and his boyfriend on V. Mapa, Sta. Mesa, Manila at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 28.

The couple had just gotten out of a cab when the police officers approached them.

The policemen allegedly frisked Hingpit and his boyfriend and showed them a sachet of shabu, which Hingpit said was planted in his pockets.

The suspects brought the two men to the precinct and allegedly took Hingpit’s wallet containing P5,500 cash and his mobile phone.

Aguilar accused them of possessing illegal drugs. Hingpit denied the accusation, prompting Ablaza to hit him on the head.

Hingpit claimed the police officers ordered him to call his brother to ask for P4,000, while his boyfriend was forced to shell out P3,000 for their release.

While waiting for their relatives, the lawmen allegedly asked them to perform oral sex in the police precinct’s detention cell. They refused, Riparip said.