31 suspected criminals rounded up in QC

Police rounded up 31 suspected criminals and seized from them a kilo of shabu worth P2 million and eight stolen vehicles in an intensified anti-criminality drive in Quezon City the past two days.

Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco said the stepped up drive against criminality came a week after President Arroyo gave the Philippine National Police (PNP) the marching orders to rid Metro Manila of street crimes, like cellphone snatching and petty robbery. The arrested criminals were presented by Velasco and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and top officials of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) before the media at Camp Karingal. Velasco said two of those arrested – Rashid Mangtoma, 39, and Mike Steve, 18, both natives of Marawi City, belong to a drug syndicate behind the distribution of shabu in Novaliches and its neighboring areas. Belmonte lauded the police force for a "job well done."

"I have always been supportive of our policemen. This is just one part of my programs to be vigilant against criminals in the city, especially those responsible for proliferating illegal drugs," Belmonte said.

Mangtoma and Steve were arrested by a team headed by Superintendent Richard Albano, chief of the Special Project Unit (SPU) of the Central Police District (CPD) during a buy bust operation in their house at 4 Lectura St., Kimco Village, Sauyo, Novaliches.

Albano also confiscated a black Honda Civic with license plate WGJ 121 believed used by the suspects in the delivery of illegal drugs. Albano’s men also raided a compound in New Manila and recovered a green Mercedes Benz 100, a silver blue Nissan Sentra, a black Sedan BMW, a black Range Rover, a red Pajero, a green Honda V-Tec, a gray Mitsubishi pick-up van and a green Honda Civic bearing a diplomatic plate number DC 6408.

Armed with a search warrant issued by Judge Lucas Bersamina, of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC), the raiders, however, failed to find their target, Elena Lim. Albano’s men instead arrested Lim’s caretakers, Jose Mayor and Faith Bahala and brought them to the CPD headquarters for further investigation.

The other arrested suspects were Mercedes Ganja, 45, for large-scale swindling involving P5.5 million; Ramil Concepcion, a former traffic management group policeman for robbing a bus conductor of P50; Edgardo Abuyen and Bobby Macalinbo, for stealing a parked Yamaha motorcycle in Cubao and Denden Garcia, who stole a scooter in Barangay Sienna; Ferdinand Leano, Jay Dy, Daniel Tecson, George Dueno, Pablo Pamintuan, Jason Ramirez, Ronald Garcia, Robert Villaflores and Roberto Saycon for engaging in a pot session, and; Marco Mendoza, Alex Bayaras, Luis Manuel, Edwin Blacanda, Ricardo Garcia, Jed Valenzuela, Joselito Tecson, Joel de Leon, Michael Herrera, Ariel Baltazar, Allan Ancheta, Renante de Jesus and Erlando de Fiesta for robbery, "bukas-kotse," and cellular phone snatching.

Velasco cited Belmonte for his able stewardship over the local police in the spirit of MO 77 bestowing operational and administrative supervision to local executives over their city and municipal police force. He, likewise commended CPD director Senior Superintendent Napoleon Castro, Albano and Inspector Ramon Arsenal for their successful operations against lawless elements.

Also in Quezon City, police are now hunting eight unidentified robbers after they robbed and hogtied a reported businessman friend of President Arroyo early yesterday morning. About P300,000 in cash, jewelry and other valuables were stolen from complainant Dominador Menes, 75, inside his home at 5 Martinez Street, Barangay Sta. Cruz.

Menes, reportedly a family friend of President Arroyo, said that he was asleep with his wife when the eight men somehow managed to gain entrance inside his home at about 5:30 a.m. The robbers went straight to the master’s bedroom and tied-up Menes and his wife. They proceeded to ransack the place of cash and assorted pieces of jewelry and appliances. They immediately fled right after the incident.

According to Chief Superintendent Raul Medina, it was the Office of President Arroyo that called up the police station for help later that morning. Follow-up operations are now being conducted.