CIDG recommends charges vs 5 extort cops

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police recommended yesterday the filing of robbery and extortion charges against five agents of the Central Police District-Drug Enforcement Group following the arrest of one of the suspects in an entrapment operation in Fairview, Quezon City.

Charges were recommended against PO3 Rodel Deogracias, PO2 Joseph Ortiz, PO3 Eduardo Gaton, PO2 Joel Sancez and PO2 Menardo Taguda as a result of the investigation conducted by the by the CIDG Anti-Organized Crime and Businessmen’s Concern (AOCBC), which acted on the complaint of businesswoman Wilma Cruz-Buen, 42, and residents of Barangay Maly, San Mateo, Rizal.

Deogracias has been arrested by elements of the CIDG while the four others remain at large.

AOCBC chief P/Supt. Paterno Orduna said that on Dec. 27, 2002 his men conducted an entrapment operation as part of the campaign against "rascals in uniform" or the so-called "Abakadang Pulis" (Abusado, Bastos, Kotongero, Di-kanaisnais na Gawain).

Deogracias was caught in the act of receiving marked money treated with ultra violet powder from Buen inside the Jollibee Fairview-Regalado branch.

The arrested officer refused to give a written statement during the investigation and instead invoked his constitutional right to remain silent.

Buen filed a complaint against the respondents before the AOCBC on Dec. 26 following her arrest by the five CPD cops who claimed to have bought from her P1,000 worth of shabu in her house last Dec. 20.

The complainant said a man posed as buyer and bought cigarettes from her store. He later returned with the suspects, who forcibly entered her house by destroying the main door. They introduced themselves as members of the Drug Enforcement Unit of the CPD based at Camp Karingal in Quezon City.

The suspects accused her of being a drug pusher and forced her to board a Toyota Revo van without plates. She was then brought to Camp Karingal, where she was detained told to produce the amount of 200,000 for her liberty.

Buen was able to contact a relative, whom the suspects negotiated with for the delivery of P50,000.