Rody wants 7 ‘ninja’ cops caught dead or alive

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte wants seven police officers who allegedly conspired with four Malabon City policemen in kidnapping and extorting money from an inmate’s girlfriend arrested, an official said yesterday.

The President, through Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa, “announced that we will give P2 million for each of these at-large policemen… According to him, dead or alive,” said Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) director Chief Superintendent Chiquito Malayo.

When asked for the basis for ordering the policemen’s capture dead or alive, Malayo said he “cannot answer that for now, but I guess the President is a lawyer. I am relaying the message of the President through the PNP chief.”

Duterte and Dela Rosa are in Russia for an official visit.

Five of those at large are Police Officers 3 Luis Hizon Jr., Jovito Roque and Michael Angelo Solomon; PO2 Michael Huerto; and PO1 Ricky Lamsen from the Malabon police drug enforcement unit.

Another is Senior Police Officer 2 Jerry dela Torre of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the last is PO3 Bernandino Pacoma of the Civil Security Group.

Malayo said the four Malabon police officers arrested last Monday – SPO2 Ricky Pelicano; and PO2s Wilson Sanchez, Joselito Ereño and Francis Camua – claimed they were made to believe the operation was legitimate.

“Ninja” police officers recycle illegal drugs seized in legitimate police operations.

Senior Inspector Bobby Mario Egera, who heads the Malabon anti-drug unit and is the arrested lawmen’s immediate superior, has been removed from his post and is now restricted to the office of Northern Police District (NPD) chief Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo.

Charged

The four Malabon policemen were brought to the Department of Justice yesterday for inquest proceedings before Assistant State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon.

Apart from kidnapping and robbery-extortion, the suspects were also charged with carnapping and violation of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

The suspects, however, opted for a preliminary investigation and waived their right to be immediately released from detention.

The four were arrested last Monday by a team from the NPD, the CITF, Anti-Kidnapping Group, Malabon City police and Highway Patrol Group.

Based on the charge sheet, the victim – identified only as “Norma” – was kidnapped last May 20 in Quezon City after she visited her boyfriend Raymond Bongabon, who is serving time for drug pushing in the medium security compound of the New Bilibid Prison.

The suspects reportedly took the victim’s Starex van along with her jewelry, an iPhone 7, laptop and P6,000 cash.

They allegedly called Norma’s family and demanded P5 million ransom. They also called Bongabon and demanded a separate ransom of P2 million.

The suspects also ordered the victim to transact with her Chinese contact for one kilo of shabu. The lawmen received the shabu and insisted on the payment of ransom on Sunday night.

When the victim’s family failed to raise the money, the suspects filed drug charges against Norma, using the shabu she procured as evidence.

The suspects then took the victim to Tondo Medical Center for physical examination as a standard operational procedure to make it look like the victim was arrested, not kidnapped.

Norma’s family went to Fajardo and told him about the alleged extortion. Fajardo then formed a task force to go after the suspects.

Relieved

Also yesterday, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Oscar Albayalde relieved the 23 remaining members of the Malabon police’s anti-drug unit.

He said Egera and his men would be reassigned to the NCRPO’s regional police holding and administrative unit pending investigation of the case.

Albayalde said they will screen candidates for the anti-drug unit.

He said Malabon police chief Senior Superintendent John Chua was spared because he was with the team that arrested the four police officers.

Aside from Egera, among those relieved were the five police officers Duterte ordered arrested as well as SPO1 Damian Matalang; PO3s Rommel Abarro, Edison de la Cruz, Jun Belbes and Jerome Chua; and PO1s Jecel Dumipia, Jerome Celestra, Allan Reyes, Donny Miclat, Isagani Peralta, Johnny Arag, Mary Criz Padduyao, Keilyn Moral, Bryant Anthony Obias, Romnick Laceda, Michelle Reyes, Aloha Pegarro and Romnick Fabroa. – With Edu Punay, Rey Galupo, Non Alquitran