Not bribe but settlement? Retired policeman explains money given to Cabrera

Traffic policeman SPO1 Romeo Cabrera, who was arrested in an alleged extortion incident, has a new defense from a witness who insisted that the money taken from the complainant was the agreed initial payment for damages incurred in a traffic accident.

The witness, retired police official Antonio Medija, went to the Cebu City Police Office yesterday to vouch that the complainant, Almar Cabahug, and the owner of the passenger jeepney involved in the accident had already agreed “to settle” the damages even before the NBI agents arrested Cabrera in a supposed entrapment.

Medija said the operator of the jeepney plying the route to Labangon is Gerardo Cristobal who is the father-in-law of his son. He said that Cristobal, a paralytic, asked for his help in claiming for damages from Cabahug’s boyfriend, Patrick Tambog, who drove the car that hit the passenger jeepney in barangay Pari-an last February 9.

Cabahug reportedly agreed to pay Cristobal the P20,500 for damages but convinced the latter to pay the initial amount of P10,000 only.

Medija said that he then went to the office of the City Traffic Operations and Management, where Cabrera was detailed, to have the documents prepared for such agreement. That was a few hours before the “entrapment,” and Medija said that Cabrera texted him to inform that Cabahug already had the money, as agreed.

Medija narrated further that when they requested Cabahug to bring the money instead to the CITOM office, she allegedly refused because she was “afraid” that her boyfriend. Cabahug instead requested for a meeting in a mall along N. Bacalso Avenue, he said.

Considering that he and Cabahug had not yet met in person and thus unfamiliar with each other, he asked Cabrera to meet her instead and get the money for him. He was surprised later to learn that NBI agents arrested Cabrera for alleged extortion, based on a complaint by Cabahug herself.

“I am here to speak the truth that it was really my request to Cabrera to get the money and also through the request of the PUJ owner Mr. Gerardo Cristobal… to received the money in behalf of Cristobal for the repair of the PUJ that was damaged by the paramour of Miss Almar Cabahug,” Medija stated.

Medija, however, admitted that he did not know if Cabrera had another transaction with Cabahug.

On the other hand, Traffic Group chief Jonathan Abella, told reporters that the traffic office never practice receiving money outside of the office for settlement and neither does it act as middleman for two parties in a traffic case.

Any settlement for damages is done right inside the office where both parties are asked to sign the official blotter stating the provisions of the agreement, said Abella.

After the arrest, Cebu City Police Office director Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador ordered Supt. Pablo Labra, deputy chief for administration, to conduct case tracking on all vehicular accidents in the city whether a case were filed or settled in proper procedure.

He also ordered Cabrera relieved from his previous assignment at CITOM and reassigned to the Service Security Group. He also ordered Abella to give an explanation on the case considering that Abella is the superior official of Cabrera.

In her complaints against Cabrera, Cabahug accused the policeman of extorting P200,000 from her and her boyfriend allegedly in exchange of not filing additional charges against Tambog about the illegal drugs allegedly found from Tambog’s car during the accident-scene investigation. — Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE