19 `extort' cops fall

Nineteen Metro policemen were arrested on orders of Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director General Panfilo Lacson for allegedly engaging in mulcting activities in Quezon City and Parañaque.

First to fall were six policemen detailed with the La Loma police station who were caught on police video while allegedly accepting "grease money" from gambling operators last Monday. Arrested in La Loma were Superintendent Carlos Balita, SPO2 Ricardo Mejica, PO2 Celino dela Cruz, PO3 Wilfredo Tuvera, PO2 Marcelo Lacdao, PO1 Ricardo Sibayan, of the La Loma police.

Arrested in Parañaque were SPO4 Jaime Mabasa, SPO4 Simeon Aquebay and SPO1 Jose Padlan, of the National Capital Region Mobile Group, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan.

Police said the La Loma officers were aboard a police van when they were caught on video while allegedly collecting money from a peryahan (mini carnival) along Retiro street. After the arrest, the Special Action Force raided the peryahan and arrested 13 alleged gambling operators and confiscated two caliber .45 pistols, a 9 mm pistol and P6,500 in bets.

Police also arrested a certain Tito Gutierrez, allegedly a reporter for Dyaryong Toro , a tabloid, while allegedly extorting money from the suspects.

Officers Aquebay, Mabasa and Padlan were arrested by SAF agents that same day while collecting cash from a gambling operator in Baclaran, Parañaque City, Lacson said.

Police said the officers were aboard a patrol car when they were arrested. Seized from the ashtray of the prowl car were crumpled and folded bills of various denominations amounting to P1,200. Also seized were the service firearms of the suspects.

National Capital Regional Police Office director Chief Superintendent Edgar Aglipay also announced the arrest of 10 other Metro policemen who were arrested in operations that started last Nov. 16 for alleged mulcting activities in the Northern, Eastern and Southern police districts and in Southern Tagalog.

Aglipay identified those arrested as SPO3 Carlos Lindayen from the Northern Police District, SPO1 Pedrito Andaleon, SPO1 Primitivo Maddawin, and PO2 Lauro Lavapie, all from the NPD; Chief Inspector Reynaldo Ramirez, PO2s Asmad Badilis, Roger Landong and Frank dela Cruz, all of the SPD; SPO4 Virginia Samonte and SPO4 Rolando Camayang from the Southern Tagalog police.

Lacson hinted at a possible revamp of police regional directors, except in Metro Manila, before the end of this month for inaction against mulcters in their ranks. "I am dissatisfied with the performance of all regional directors, except NCR," he said.

Lacson said that he will be giving the concerned 15 regional directors enough time to shape up and weed-out mulcters. "Though I am not giving them any deadline, I expect them to take immediate action against mulcting cops," he said.

And yet, despite the good performance of the NCRPO against mulcting members, Lacson admitted that the Central Police District and the Southern Police District have the most number of extorting policemen.

Lacson said he might call for a reshuffle of the policemen detailed in the two districts as a result.

As these developed, Lacson also ordered yesterday the immediate transfer to Mindanao of Superintendent Ernesto Fojas Jr., station commander of the La Loma Police Station, a certain Superintendent Velarma of the NCR Regional Mobile Group and a certain Superintendent Caucho of the Western Police District Traffic Group for inability to stop mulcting activities of some of their men. "We are not dumping them (officers) in Mindanao. We just want to dislocate them from their former areas and remove the familiarity between them and their subordinates," he said.