Army troops menace Pasay cops

Tension mounted at the Criminal Investigation Division of the Pasay City police as Army soldiers in full battle gear, in sympathy with their superior officer undergoing interrogation after being tagged by an arrested snatcher as the godfather of pickpockets in Metro Manila, menaced the virtually outnumbered policemen manning the station early yesterday morning.

Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams from other police stations had to reinforce their outnumbered colleagues in Pasay, who maintained their cool throughout the standoff.

The impasse, which stared at about 4 a.m. was only settled at about 10:30 a.m. when Army Captain Arnel Mariano, was ordered released by the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office to the custody of his superior officers at Fort Bonifacio.

Mariano was tagged by a 16-year-old snatcher whom police arrested the other day at a bus terminal along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), as the alleged handler and financier of about 10 pickpockets and snatchers operating in Pasay and Cubao bus terminals.

Mariano and his 16-year-old accuser were both turned-over for proper investigation to the city's CID by Malibay Barangay chairman Ernesto Cervantes, when the Army officer reportedly tried to obtain the release of the boy from their custody.

At the police headquarters, the boy who was not arrested for snatching but for non-payment of a P36 restaurant bill, confessed that he was a snatcher and a pickpocket working for Mariano.

This prompted the police to question the Army officer about the kid's allegations.

Mariano denied the allegation but the boy maintained that, just like nine other kids being maintained by Mariano, he was receiving a P100 daily allowance from the Army officer.

The police questioning of the Army captain was interrupted when a dozen Army soldiers aboard a military pickup arrived unannounced at the CID at about 4 a.m.

The soldiers who positioned themselves in strategic places in side and outside the CID, left the place two hours later, only to be replaced by another batch of heavily-armed soldiers.

However, the police, refused to be provoked and simply maintained their "cool" while proceeding with their work.

But when it was time for filing of the case against the Army officer, the arrested snatcher, retracted his testimony reportedly out of fear, claiming that he was warned that a severe punishment awaited him.

Due to the threat, the boy was ordered transferred by the court to the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).