Las Piñas police chief, 36 anti-drug cops axed

MANILA, Philippines — The chief of the Las Piñas City police was relieved from his post yesterday after some of his men were accused of extortion and kidnapping.

Aside from Senior Superintendent Marion Balonglong, 36 members of the station’s drug enforcement unit, including SDEU head Senior Inspector Edgardo Tigbao, were sacked by National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Guillermo Eleazar.

Eleazar said Balonglong would be replaced by Senior Superintendent Simnar Gran, chief of the NCRPO Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, in an acting capacity.

Eleazar also ordered a manhunt for seven policemen tagged in the kidnapping of Cyrus Ligutan on Wednesday.

Police Officer 3 Joel Lupig, PO2 Vener Guanlao, and PO1s Mark Jefferson Fulgencio, Jeffrey de Leon, Raymart Gomez, Jason Arellano and Erickson Rivera failed to report to work after the incident.

“We will hunt them down so they can answer for their wrongdoing,”Eleazar said.

Balonglong was reassigned to the NCRPO Regional Police Holding and Administrative Unit. The 36 anti-drug agents are on floating status. 

“They were relieved to prevent them from influencing the outcome of the investigation,” Eleazar said.

A 13-year-old “striker” of the SDEU claimed that he served as courier of the anti-narcotics officers in six extortion cases in the past.

Southern Police District director Senior Superintendent Eliseo Cruz said Ligutan was kidnapped by the SDEU operatives on Nov. 21.

The policemen accused Ligutan of pushing drugs.

The police officers reportedly demanded P200,000 in exchange for the release of Ligutan.

After negotiations, the ransom was lowered to P30,000, which was received by the striker from Ligutan’s sister.

Members of the Las Piñas, Parañaque and Cavite police conducted an entrapment operation, which led to the arrest of the minor at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Victor Medina street in Parañaque City.

Police said the teenager was accompanied by Lupig, Guanlao, Fulgencio and De Leon, who escaped in a gray Isuzu Hi-Lander with a “Sinaglahi” sticker.

The minor yielded a gun replica, P30,000 in marked money and a motorcycle without license plates.