2 Quezon City cops face ax over stolen motorbikes

MANILA, Philippines – Two members of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) are facing dismissal from the service following their arrest for possession of stolen motorcycles in Bulacan last week, a police official said yesterday.

Senior Police Officer 1 Dante Surban and PO2 Sherwin Castañeda will be given a chance to defend themselves during the hearing of the administrative case against them, according to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Joel Pagdilao.

Pagdilao ordered QCPD director Chief Superintendent Edgardo Tinio to submit the documents on the complaint filed against Surban and Castañeda by the Bulacan police so the summary dismissal proceedings could start as soon as possible.

Pagdilao said he would not hesitate to dismiss the two police officers from the service if evidence warrants.

“We are ridding the police force of scalawags. There are only a few bad eggs in our ranks but their illegal activities give us headache,” he said. “They should not be allowed to stay in the police organization.”

Under his leadership, Pagdilao vowed to reward police officers performing their jobs well while he would be quick to punish those involved in illicit activities.

“I would not tolerate any wrongdoing of members of the police force,” he said, adding that the NCRPO is in the process of hiring new police officers to replace the rogue ones.

Surban and Castañeda were apprehended on Wednesday by the police in an entrapment operation in Palmera Homes Subdivision, Barangay Kaypian in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. 

Dismantled parts of stolen motorcycles were recovered during the operation, said Superintendent Helson Walin, chief of the Provincial Public Safety Company.

Police said the two Quezon City police officers could be involved in a group responsible for stealing motorcycles in Bulacan.