3 cops still on active duty despite warrants

Three Manila policemen are still on active duty status despite the warrants of arrest issued against them, the national organization of retired policemen revealed yesterday.

According to the Philippine National Police Retirees Association Inc. (PRAI), it has verified information that Senior Inspector Cesario Tubog, SPO4 Reynaldo Li and SPO3 Radito Perez, of the Manila Police District (MPD), are reporting for work daily and are visible at the police headquarters despite warrants of arrests issued against them.

The three policemen, together with retired police Col. Vicente Palmon and his son, Vicente Ray, civilians Felix Pineda, Yolanda Sales, Cesar Sanvictores, Casar Baria and Armando Inabangan, are facing charges for syndicated estafa filed by depositors of the foreclosed Police Savings and Loan Association Inc. (POSLAI). No bail is recommended for such offense.

In a letter to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director Chief Superintendent Ricardo Dapat, the PRAI is seeking the immediate arrest of the three Manila police officers and their civilian cohorts.

PRAI president retired Gen. Guillermo Domondon said the nine officers of POSLAI had victimized policemen and retiree-members of their group who failed to withdraw their deposits due to the bank’s bankruptcy. The bank was subsequently foreclosed by the Monetary Board of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The elder Palmon was arrested last May and is now confined in a hospital after reportedly getting ill during his detention at the Manila City Jail.

According to Manila’s Finest Retirees Association Inc. (MFRAI) president retired police Col. Felicisimo Lazaro, Tubog and Li have signified their intention to turn state witnesses against Palmon and the other accused.

"Perez and Pineda should be immediately arrested since we know that they are the real accomplices of Palmon in duping thousands of depositors," he added.

Palmon, who is the POSLAI president, is also facing separate estafa charges in other courts in the Visayas and Mindanao, filed by bank depositors who failed to withdraw their deposits totalling millions of pesos, according to Lazaro.

Twenty-three Manila police retirees had also filed 23 counts of estafa charges against Palmon and his group after they failed to withdraw their deposits, which constituted their entire retirement pay.

At least 20 more arrest warrants with no bail recommended are forthcoming against Palmon and his bank officials, according to Lazaro, who vowed to closely monitor the progress of the cases.