Raps filed vs anti-drug agents

Various criminal charges, including kidnapping and car theft, were filed yesterday against eight anti-drug agents, who were caught conducting illegal operations with a wanted police officer in Quezon City last Wednesday.

State Prosecutors Misael Ladaga and Lagrimas Agaran recommended no bail for the temporary release of former Senior Inspector Nathaniel Capitanea, 28, who has a standing warrant of arrest for kidnapping for ransom.

Also charged for kidnapping for ransom were Senior Inspector Bienvenido Reydado, 33; Senior Inspector Marco Polo Estrera, 29; Inspector Gilbert Fariñas, 30; PO2 Alexander Alvarez, 37; PO2 Jun-Jun Mataverde, 30; all members of the Philippine National Police-Anti-Illegal Drug Special Operations Task Force (PNP-AIDSOTF); PO3 Dan Firmalino, 42; PO2 Jose Garcia, 36; PO1 Nelson Mariano, 27, agents of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA); and civilian Richard Villanueva.

The suspects waived their right to submit a counter affidavit to refute the charges, prompting the filing of the case in court. Their lawyers said the charges would be answered in court.

"The information will be filed in court against the eight active police officers, one former policeman and one civilian. They will remain in custody since there was probable cause. All evidence against them were unrefuted and unrebutted," Ladaga said during inquest proceedings at the PDEA office in Quezon City.

The kidnap charges were signed by officials of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER), led by PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon and Senior Superintendent Prudencion Tom Bañas.

The suspects are detained at the PNP Custodial Center inside Camp Crame.

PDEA had filed charges of illegal possession of illegal drugs against the 10 men as well as six civilians, whom the suspects earlier arrested in Pampanga.

Inquest Prosecutor Ferdinand Baylon of Quezon City recommended no bail for the temporary release of the 10 suspects on the drug charges. Some 143 grams of shabu were taken from the suspects at the time of their arrest in Banawe, Quezon City.

Baylon, however, recommended the release of civilians Edgar Ponce, 28, Trivor Woodard, 28, Roberto Antonio, 28, Mario David, 43, Joel David, 24 and Danilao Gabriel, 51.

Arrested or abducted?

The anti-drug agents were rounded up in Banawe last Wednesday night after PDEA operatives spotted them with Capitanea, who was the subject of a warrant of arrest.

Six civilians were later found bound and blindfolded inside one of the suspects’ six vehicles.

The charge sheet filed by PDEA and PACER revealed that the suspects abducted the six civilians and tried to extort P100,000 each from them.

The suspects allegedly picked up Antonio and Woodard at a mall in San Fernando, Pampanga.

"Woodard was blindfolded and handcuffed and ordered to contact his live-in partner to produce P100,000. Woodard’s cell phone and wristwatch and P2,000 cash were also taken," Bañas said.

Gabriel claimed the suspects picked him up and took his Honda sedan (WEH-859) in Mexico, Pampanga at around 2 p.m. on Oct. 18. Some 30 minutes later, the group picked up David and Ponce in San Fernando and brought them to Manila.

The suspects claimed the six were drug suspects.

Their "undue arrest" in Banawe last Wednesday botched an anti-illegal drug operation that was targeting a big-time drug trafficker, they claimed.

Calderon has ordered a full investigation into the alleged criminal activities of police anti-drug operatives and vowed to throw the book at erring officers.

"This will show people that we are constantly making honesty checks and that we in the PNP are serious in ridding our ranks of abusive and undesirable members," the PNP chief added.

At the same time, Calderon strongly reiterated the command policy and standard operating procedures on anti-drug operations, which he said must be cleared and authorized by unit commanders and properly coordinated with the PDEA and other concerned PNP units and agencies.

Calderon tasked the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) to conduct an administrative probe on the involvement of active-duty personnel from AIDSOTF.