Mayor refuses man’s request for help vs. cops in illegal arrest

Mayor Tomas Osmeña has refused for now a request for assistance from a man who claimed that some city policemen had arrested him illegally, and even extorted money from his family.

The mayor instead advised the family of Noel Tortor, a resident of barangay Pasil, to seek the help of the National Bureau of Investigation first.

“I will look into that matter. Ang ako suggestion they talk to the NBI, another independent agency kung duna sila grievance sa police, and if the NBI found out nga naa silay punto mohatag ko’g tabang,” said Osmeña.

If the NBI however found that the Tortor family is just using the city government, then they would get nothing from the city, Osmeña said.

Four policemen of the Fuente Police station arrested Tortor at the corner of Tormis and P. Del Rosario Streets in barangay Sambag 1 last October 29, following an alarm about an armed man roaming around the place then.

Since then, Tortor has insisted that the arrest was illegal but he feared of possible reprisal from the policemen so he asked for help from Mayor Osmeña.

The four policemen were PO2 Bernabe Alegado, PO2 Termaine Sotto, PO1 Emmanuel Victor Blones, and PO1 Christopher Torregosa.

Tortor alleged that they distorted the facts of his arrest in the police records, and that they also tried to extort P150,000 from his mother.

The policemen countered however that when they arrested Tortor, they found a knife and three packs of shabu from his possession. Tortor since then denied these allegations.

Tortor’s relatives further said the arrest actually took place on October 28 in barangay Pasil, which is already out of jurisdiction of the Fuente policemen. 

The Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau has already started investigating the matter. – Wenna A. Berondo/RAE