NCRPO, ACG heads axed over POGO raid

MANILA, Philippines —   The directors of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) have been relieved from their posts for 10 days following the raid on an alleged Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub in Ermita, Manila.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil relieved NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia and ACG chief Maj. Gen. Ronnie Francis Cariaga effective yesterday.

Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Tamondong was named acting NCRPO chief.

Col. Vina Guzman will take over Cariaga’s job in the ACG.

The relief of Hernia and Cariaga stemmed from the Oct. 29 raid on Century Peak Tower, targeting an alleged POGO site in the 40-story building.

PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said Hernia and Cariaga were relieved as part of an administrative investigation into the alleged mishandling of the POGO raid.

“The probe will determine if police operational protocols were violated during the raid,” she said.

Fajardo clarified that the relief of Hernia and Cariaga is not punitive, but intended to ensure an impartial investigation.

The internal probe will be led by acting PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Michael John Dubria.

During the raid, police detained several foreigners, including four Chinese, who accused Hernia and other NCRPO personnel of extortion.

Included in the complaint filed against the NCRPO with Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla was a request for Hernia’s suspension.

Hernia has denied the extortion allegations hurled against him and 14 other NCRPO personnel.

The raid sparked controversy after closed-circuit television footage showed ACG officers tampering with CCTV cameras in the building.

Three ACG officers were sacked for covering the CCTVs in the building’s hallways.

The ACG explained that due to the shutdown of the building’s elevator and air conditioning system during the post-raid probe on Oct. 31, police were forced to walk through hallways on the 23rd floor without shirts due to extreme heat.

The PNP maintained that the raid was legitimate and supported by a cyber warrant issued by a Manila court.

The Manila raid adds to scrutiny over past NCRPO and ACG operations, including Hernia’s alleged involvement in a 2023 raid on a POGO hub in Las Piñas where alleged procedural violations and irregularities led to legal challenges, resulting in the release of detained foreigners.

According to investigation, the foreigners were held at the Hong Tai compound instead of a deportation facility.

On April 19, a Las Piñas court ordered the return of hundreds of millions of pesos confiscated in the Las Piñas raid after the justice department dismissed the criminal charges filed against the foreigners.