PNP chief orders dismissal of cops accused of extortion

Philippine National Police director Oscar Calderon has ordered the dismissal of the three operatives of the Cebu City Police Office who were accused of extorting P2 million from a man they tagged as a drug personality.

Calderon issued the verbal order to Police Regional Office director Silverio Alarcio Jr. during President Gloria Arroyo’s visit to Bohol last Friday.

Calderon, who was listening to Alarcio answering questions from the media about the arrest of SPO1 Jaime Otadoy by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Regional Intelligence Division during an entrapment operation last Wednesday, immediately inquired what the story was about.

When briefed by the media about Otadoy’s arrest and the alleged involvement of two other policemen in the extortion activity, Calderon immediately ordered Alarcio to dismiss them from the service.

“Ipa-dismiss mo,” was Calderon’s immediate order to Alarcio.

Calderon said that this should serve as a strong signal to scalawags in uniform that they will not hesitate to dismiss erring policemen.

According to Calderon, there are plenty of applicants who can immediately replace those who will be dismissed from the service.

“We have so many police applicants,” Calderon told reporters.

Alarcio, however, said that Otadoy, PO3 Rey Albotra and PO1 Raniel Capampangan who are already charged with robbery extortion, simple robbery, graft and corruption and violation of the Code of Conduct and

Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas will still be accorded due process.

City police director Patrocinio Comendador said the three were ordered to be transferred to the Service Security Group so they can be monitored while avoiding working in the field.

Comendador said they could not impose administrative sanction against the three because the NBI had already filed a case against them.

Otadoy, Capampangan and Albotra, who are assigned to the Vice Control Section of the CCPO, allegedly demanded P2 million from Reuel Lerio to avoid being charged with drug pushing.

Lerio, a video game operator, said Otadoy, Albotra and Capampangan approached him last Tuesday afternoon at the parking lot of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral while he was there to fetch his son from a nearby school.

The three allegedly showed him a pack of shabu and threatened to use it as evidence against him if he would not yield to their demand.

Lerio said he was brought to a vacant lot at the Cebu Business Park where he was ordered to produce P2 million for his freedom but he was able to haggle for P1.2 million. 

Comendador also defended his actions in disbanding the VCS, citing that he has received several reports and complaints against some of its members involved in illegal activity.

Aside from this, he said the function of VCS is a duplication of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch. –Fred P. Languido and Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP