Cop cleared of extortion to file case vs. businessman

After being cleared from an extortion case, PO1 Jeremias Geromo is filing a case for damages against the businessman who caused for his entrapment and the police official who allegedly connived to set him up.

Geromo, through his lawyer Aquilino Felicitas, is contemplating to file a P1 million damage suit against Rafael Niño Ybañez. Felicitas said they are already preparing the complaint.

Felicitas said his client's reputation was gravely damaged by the malicious imputations and the shameful situation caused by his arrest.

Aside from Ybañez, Felicitas said they are also considering including in the counter-charges the police official who, he claimed, connived in setting up his client.

Geromo was arrested in an entrapment operation two weeks ago after he allegedly tried to extort money from Ybañez. However, the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor's Office dismissed the extortion case for lack of evidence.

The prosecutor gave weight to Geromo's claim that the money he received from Ybañez was part of the latter's reimbursement to his hospital expenses.

Geromo said in October last year, he was injured in a vehicular accident. Ybañez, who reportedly admitted to have caused the incident, promised to shoulder all the hospital and medical expenses of Geromo.

Ybañez also admitted in his affidavit to have caused Geromo's injuries when they figured in a vehicular accident but he claimed that he already gave the money to compensate Geromo's expenses.

Ybañez alleged that sometime in November last year, he gave P1,000 to Geromo when the policeman demanded additional amount from him. Discontented with the amount he gave, Geromo reportedly threatened to file a case for violation of the anti-drug law against him should he refuse to give additional amount, which obliged him to give another P1,000.

On February 6, Geromo allegedly demanded P10,000 from Ybañez, threatening to pursue the filing of the drug case should he fail to give in to the demand.

This prompted Ybañez to request for an entrapment operation against Geromo from the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau.

However, the prosecutors believed that Geromo's frequent demand of money from Ybañez, including the threat to file a case, is not illegal. - Fred P. Languido