Lina orders probe on cops’ near shootout in Las Piñas

Interior Secretary Joey Lina ordered yesterday the National Police Commission to probe the reported near shootout between special agents and local policemen in Las Piñas the other day.

In a memorandum, Lina also ordered the Napolcom to investigate Las Piñas City police chief Senior Superintendent Armando Pineda who reportedly tried to prevent special agents of the Task Force Jericho from arresting a Las Piñas policeman who was charged with extortion.

"This incident should be deeply investigated as it involves the very members of one family which is the Philippine National Police. Appropriate sanctions should also be recommended for those who may have violated certain procedures when apprehending crime suspects, or tried to shield suspects from arrest," Lina said.

The near shootout happened on Jan. 10 after Jericho operatives tried to arrest inside the Las Piñas police station PO3 Alexander Roy Rafer, a member of the Las Piñas Special Operations Group (SOG), for extortion.

Rafer is allegedly one of the SOG operatives who demanded money from Jose Robert Toque and Richard Chua Lim in exchange for the release of the video machines seized from them by the SOG last Jan. 8 in Pulang Lupa, Las Piñas.

Toque and Lim later filed a complaint before the Napolcom against Rafer and other operatives of the SOG headed by Senior Inspector Sergio Garrobo. Based on the complaint, Jericho operatives proceeded to the Las Piñas police the following day for an entrapment operation.

The team tried to coordinate with Pineda, but he was out of office when the team arrived. Before the team reached the office of the next ranking officer, the pre-arranged signal was given by the complainant that the marked money had already been handed to three SOG operatives, which resulted in the arrest of Rafer.

Operatives of the city police prevented the arresting team from frisking Rafer and a commotion ensued inside the police station but was immediately put under control. A dialogue later took place with Pineda ordering Rafer to go with the arresting team to the PNP Crime Laboratory for ultraviolet powder dusting test.

Moments later, in an apparent effort to protect their subordinate, Pineda and Garrobo informed the team that Rafer is invoking his right not to undergo the test and that he is just going to be suspended for 15 days because of the incident.

Lina expressed dismay over the incident, saying it gave the public the wrong perception that law enforcement officials and operatives are not united and determined in fighting criminality and illegal activities, especially when the ones behind them are policemen themselves.

"Irritants like this between and among police officers and men should not happen again. They only undermine efforts of the PNP to regain the people’s trust and confidence and slow down the campaign against criminality and the so-called scalawags in uniform," he remarked.