Cops cry harassment

The five members of the drug enforcement group of the Western Police District (not of the Ermita police as earlier reported) who are now facing an extortion complaint filed by a Muslim vendor, claimed they are victims of a mere case of harassment.

Chief Inspector Jose Mario Espino, chief of the WPD-District Drug Enforcement Group said the accused, Senior Police Officer 1 Victor Inciong, Police Officer 3 Hernani Aga, Police Officer 3 Glybel Dimacali, Police Officer 2 Emmanuel Gomez, and Police Officer 2 Rodolfo Yanguas are just being harassed by Omar Manongiring.

Manongiring, a native of Lanao del Sur and resident of 1738 Blumentritt st., Sta. Cruz, Manila earlier accused the five WPD-DDEG agents of allegedly taking P30,000 from him last Sept. 19.

In his complaint, Manongiring said the suspects allegedly took his P14,000 cash, his cellphone worth P2,500 and his scooter with plate number MC-PT-6231 worth P37,000 when he was supposedly arrested for drug possession at the corner of Pampanga street and Rizal Avenue.

According to Manongiring, he was aboard his scooter and was on his way to close his stall at the Blumentritt market when the suspects aboard a blue car blocked his path at about 6 p.m.

The suspects, he said, alighted from the vehicle and approached him with their guns drawn. Inciong and Dimacali allegedly dragged him off his scooter and divested him of his cash, jewelry and watch, Manongiring added.

After taking his valuables, the policemen then allegedly forced him inside the car and took him to their office where they accused him of drug possession in front of Espino.

Manongiring said the accused policemen then showed Espino two plastic sachets of shabu and said these were found on him. Manongiring said the policemen then ordered him to produce P250,000 in exchange for his release. He added that the policemen even threatened to add illegal gun possession to his charge sheet if he will refuse to pay.

Espino, in a statement sent to the office of WPD director Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon Jr., said that Manongiring is a "known drug pusher" operating in the area of Felix Huertas, Sulu and M. Hizon streets in Blumentritt. He also said that Manongiring had been arrested before, also for drugs, and have lodged similar extortion cases against the arresting police officers.

In addition, Espino said that contrary to Manongiring’s claim, his men arrested him in a buy-bust operation in front of his house in Blumentritt.

Espino said that less than four grams of shabu were seized from Manongiring on exchange for P1,500 marked cash. He said that Manongiring was detained at the WPD Integrated Jail until Sept. 25 when he was released from custody after posting the recommended bail of P120,000.

"All the allegation were only a concoction with malice afterthought (sic) designed to discredit and harass the police officer (sic)," Espino said in his statement. Espino also said that his men returned to Manongiring all his jewelry after he was released on bail.

Meanwhile, Espino admitted that they will have Manongiring’s scooter under custody as it is reportedly stolen. "We are willing to return to him the scooter. He only have to produce the proper documents which he has failed to do so," a policeman said.