Four policemen accused of extorting P300 from a truck driver in Muntinlupa City were arrested and presented to media by President Arroyo yesterday as part of her continuing effort to rid the country of big-time criminals and "hoodlums in uniform."
The President admitted that she had considered stopping her practice of parading arrested crime suspects before the media, but she changed her mind when she received reports that her shame campaign was taking its toll on kidnappers and big-time crooks.
"We started the week with a big haul of car (thieves), and we are closing the week with good news about the arrest of cops caught extorting money," the President said in a hastily called press briefing yesterday at the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) at the former EIIB building along NIA Road in Quezon City.
Suspects PO1 Fernando Pinongan, PO2 Conrado Duran, PO2 June Reyes and SPO1 Edison Belmonte, all of the Muntinlupa City police mobile patrol division, were wearing complete police uniforms and were handcuffed when presented to media at 10:30 a.m.
Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco said the arrest of the four Muntinlupa policemen was based on information from and complaints by various citizens through his "Magic Eye" program.
Concerned citizens informed the NCRPO that the suspects stopped all vehicles coming from the Southern Tagalog region and passing through Alabang Road and demanded bribes — known in the vernacular as "kotong."
The arrest of the four "kotong cops," Velasco said, "was a result of a collaborative effort between one ordinary citizen and the NCRPO’s counter-intelligence special operatives, who combined forces to entrap the hoodlums in uniform."
Reports reaching Velasco showed that a truck laden with coco lumber and driven by Durante Carillaga, 42, from San Pedro, Laguna was intercepted by police mobile car 563 manned by the four suspects along Alabang Road in Muntinlupa City at 1:30 a.m. yesterday. The four were arrested after Duran accepted P300 in marked money from Carillaga.
Belmonte said he and his team were doing the rounds of the city when they spotted Carillaga’s truck with its hazard lights on. When they approached the parked vehicle, Belmonte said, Carillaga told them that a group of five men was extorting money from him in the vicinity of Metropolis Mall.
Belmonte said he noticed that the truck driver was leaning toward the police vehicle. When the suspects left the place and were maneuvering to check the truck driver’s report, elements of the NCRPO’s counter-intelligence special unit headed by Arnold Aguilar blocked their path.
Belmonte said they were ordered to alight from the vehicle and, after a thorough search, the NCRPO counter-intelligence unit announced the recovery of the marked money. Belmonte added in Filipino that "there is no truth to their accusations against us."
Because of the incident, Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi ordered the overhaul of the entire city police force.
Velasco also ordered the relief of the four arrested policemen and directed the Muntinlupa City police and its mobile division chief to submit a detailed report as to why no disciplinary actions should be taken against them as a result of the incident.
Velasco has ordered the filing of robbery, extortion and grave misconduct charges against the four suspects, who are now detained at the NCRPO holding cell.
Mrs. Arroyo also asked the public to continue cooperating with the police drive against criminality and erring lawmen: "The positive feedback we have been receiving over the last few weeks is not only because of the hard work of the PNP, but also because more and more concerned citizens are taking action to report crime."
Last Monday, the President presented five suspected members of car theft syndicates at Camp Crame, along with a number of luxury vehicles recovered from the suspects.
The arrested car theft suspects were earlier paraded before the press before Malacañang’s Heroes Hall — opening the President to a barrage of criticism that she demeaned the seat of government by using it as a photo-op setting for her presentation of criminal suspects.
The President is now seeking an apology from her detractors and she has decided to continue her high-profile anti-crime drive: "Para sa akin, mas dignified ang ating bansa kapag wala nang kidnappers (for me, the country will be more dignified once it is rid of kidnappers)."
The Chief Executive also attended yesterday the first hearing of the kidnappers of Rowena Tiu in La Union. She added that anti-crime crusader Teresita Ang See reported to her yesterday that her continuous parading of criminals and erring policemen has prompted some kidnappers to surrender for fear that they will suffer the same fate.
PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. admitted that some kidnappers have surrendered, but he refused to divulge the details of these suspects’ surrender for security reasons: "We are doing our job without necessarily announcing our programs of action."
Ebdane warned that the campaign against hoodlums in uniform is a continuing operation. The PNP chief said he doesn’t care if the arrested hoodlums are members of the police force or the military.
The PNP chief warned rogue cops to stop their illegal operations: "If they continue their illicit activities, I would say we expect more arrests soon."
Ebdane said more and more citizens are cooperating with the "Magic Eye" program, which encourages the public to report crimes and abusive lawmen – be they policemen or military personnel, to the PNP.
"The good thing is that the public is reporting crimes and abusive cops and they don’t even ask for any monetary consideration," he said. - With Marichu Villanueva