Ovilla, 7 others dismissed

Graft does not pay.

A ranking police officer and seven of his men were dismissed from the service yesterday after being found administratively liable for releasing two suspected drug lords in Quezon City last August.

Superintendent Francisco Ovilla, former chief of the Anonas police station in Quezon City, was found guilty of the charges against him, Ombudsman Aniano Desierto said yesterday.

"They're now dismissed from the service," Desierto said, noting that the evidence against Ovilla and seven other Anonas policemen was "strong."

Those dismissed with Ovilla were Superintendent Loreto de la Cruz, Senior Inspector Edwin Misador, SPO4 Florendo Lucila, SPO3 Benjamin Fonacier, SPO1 Orencio Jurado, PO3 Orlin Comia and PO2 Ladislao Rebancos.

Four policemen who were initially linked to the case -- SPO2 Teodorico Lado, SPOs1 Ronnie Rodaje and Eusebio Zambrano and PO3 Manuel Malong -- were cleared for lack of evidence.

The case stemmed from the complaint of two of Ovilla's former men -- SPO2 Reynato Resurreccion and PO3 Wilfredo Gonzales -- against the Anonas police chief, accusing him of ordering the release of a certain Jimmy Tan and Albert Koo on Aug. 22.

The two policemen said they were part of the team that caught Tan and Koo, both Chinese nationals, inside the SM City mall on North Avenue and EDSA. Some 1.5 kilos of metamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, a prohibited drug, were found in the suspects' car, they said.

The two further alleged that Ovilla, who led the arresting team, ordered them to release the suspects after receiving P650,000 as bribe. They also accused their chief of taking the suspects' Honda Civic car and offering them a "share" of the bribe money which they allegedly refused.

Desierto said Ovilla and the seven other dismissed policemen were found to have conspired to have Tan and Koo released.

"The testimony of the two accusers were corroborated by two of their colleagues and two civilians," he said, referring to POs1 Eleocia Martinez and Rodolfo Florencio and civilians Ester Ulpindo and May Gines.

Ulpindo, also a drug suspect, claimed she was at the Anonas police station when the two Chinese nationals were released. She was arrested by Ovilla's men a day before the two foreigners were caught.

On the other hand, Gines, an errand girl of the station, said she witnessed the "payoff" between the foreigners and Ovilla inside the police station.

Ovilla and his seven co-accused are now facing charges of qualified bribery, a crime punishable by death under Republic Act 7659 or the Heinous Crimes Law.

They are now at the Quezon City jail awaiting trial.

Ovilla, meanwhile, is also facing a separate rape charge filed by a 16-year-old girl whom he allegedly abused inside his office at the police station. The sexual abuse reportedly happened also last August.