4 Cavite TMG policemen sacked

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna — Four members of the Traffic Management Group (TMG) in Cavite have been relieved from their duties following last Friday’s escape of the alleged leader of a car theft syndicate while under their custody.

Relieved were SPO1 Pedro Bilugan, police-community relations officer; PO3 Melencio Arcita Jr., administrative officer; PO3 Welmer Solomon, intelligence operative; and PO2 Noel Peliña, an investigator.

Superintendent Apolinar Felipe, TMG director for Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), said he ordered them to appear at their regional headquarters here today for an investigation into the escape of Charlie Mechure II, alleged leader of a notorious car theft syndicate operating in Southern Luzon and Metro Manila.

"If there is probable cause linking them to the escape of Mechure, administrative and criminal cases would be filed against them," Felipe said.

Earlier reports said Mechure managed to slip past his guards at the TMG’s Cavite office at about 4 p.m. last Friday, just a day after he was arrested at a police checkpoint in Barangay Molino in Bacoor, Cavite.

Mechure, the reports added, fled on board a car driven by a certain Christine Narcida.

According to sources, Solomon even lent his cellular phone to Mechure prior to the escape.

When he arrived from their barracks, Arcita, according to the sources, found Mechure without handcuffs and asked Solomon about it.

"Ako bahala dyan (I will take care of that)," Solomon was quoted as saying.

Moments later, they heard tires screeching outside their office. When Arcita and fellow TMG operative SPO2 Eduardo Villa rushed to check it, they saw the vehicle of Narcida speeding away.

Arcita and Villa reportedly alerted the guard at the gate of the TMG-Cavite office, but the latter failed to stop the vehicle from rushing out.

The sources said Narcida, together with a female companion, arrived at about 3:15 p.m. supposedly to bring food to Mechure.

When he was arrested last Thursday, Mechure, together with four companions, was on board a Mitsubishi Galant which the police claimed was being used by the syndicate in its operations in Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas towns and elsewhere in Cavite.

Mechure’s companions — identified as Earl Belarma, Elizabeth Belarma, Christian Victor Sy and Rosauro Feleo — were later released for lack of evidence.