Cop forced student to swallow shabu

MANILA, Philippines - Hostage taker Rolando del Rosario Mendoza was one of five Manila policemen who were dismissed from the service last January after they were found guilty of extortion and for forcing a college student to swallow shabu in 2008.

The Office of the Ombudsman sacked Mendoza, a former senior inspector, along with Inspector Nelson Ubano Lagasca, Senior Police Officer 1 Nestor Reyes David, PO3 Wilson Matic Gavino and PO2 Roderick Salva Lopeña, after the college student filed his complaint.

The Ombudsman also forfeited the police officers’ retirement benefits and perpetually disqualified them from government service.

Emilio Gonzalez III, deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Office, found the police officers guilty of grave misconduct based on a probe conducted by graft investigator Rebecca A. Guillen-Ubaña.

The victim of the “hulidap” operation Christian Kalaw said the incident happened at around 10:30 p.m. on April 9, 2008 while he was on board his car and was parked at the corner of Vito Cruz and Taft Avenue in Manila.

The complainant claimed that Mendoza and the other suspects initially arrested him for alleged illegal parking and for driving without license, but he was eventually accused of using illegal drugs.

Two of the policemen allegedly took P3,000 cash from his vehicle and even ordered him to withdraw cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

When the police officers got nothing from his bank account, Kalaw said he was arrested and was forced to swallow shabu, which was later used to extort P20,000 from him.

“It can be deduced from respondents’ acts that they wanted to extort money from (Kalaw). Such acts violated the duty of the PNP to enforce the law to prevent and control crimes as they are the perpetrators thereof,” the Office of the Ombudsman’s ruling approved by Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro said.

The decision said the victim had no ill motive against the police officers for him to make up such a story while denials of the respondents were weak.

“We find the lone testimony of Christian (Kalaw) credible on the ground that he would not concoct such a traumatic story against respondents if it were not true. He is genuinely aggrieved party who only wants vindication for the injustice committed against him by respondents,” the Office of the Ombudsman said.

Mendoza was born on Jan. 10, 1955, a native of Naic, Cavite. He graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology from the Philippine College of Criminology then joined the Integrated National Police (INP) in 1989 and was later absorbed by the Philippine National Police in 1992.

The dismissed police officer is a resident of Banadero in Tanauan, Batangas and was supposed to retire on Jan. 10, 2011.

Mendoza was promoted to the rank of senior inspector on Aug. 16, 2005 and last Sept. 14, 2008, he was slapped with a 90-day suspension.