Ombudsman boots out 5 cops who forced chef to eat shabu

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from service of five Manila policemen for alleged extortion and for allegedly forcing a person to swallow shabu last year.

The anti-graft agency said chef Christian Kalaw’s testimony against Senior Inspector Rolando del Rosario Mendoza, Inspector Nelson Ubano Lagasca, SPO1 Nestor Reyes David, PO3 Wilson Matic Gavino, and PO2 Roderick Salva Lopeña was enough to prove his claim of being victimized by a “hulidap” operation.

The Office Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices Emilio Gonzalez III ruled that there exists substantial evidence to find the policemen guilty of grave misconduct.

The decision was based on the results of an investigation conducted by graft investigator Rebecca Guillen-Ubaña based on a complaint filed by Kalaw.

Case records show that at around 10:30 p.m. on April 9, 2008, Kalaw was in his car parked at the corner of Vito Cruz and Taft Avenue in Manila when he was accosted for alleged illegal parking and driving without a license.

Two of the policemen allegedly took P3,000 from Kalaw’s vehicle and wanted him to withdraw cash from his bank account using an automated teller machine.

But when the police officers got nothing from his bank account, Kalaw said he was arrested and forced to swallow shabu, which the policemen later used to extort P20,000 from him.

“It can be deduced from respondents’ acts that they wanted to extort money from (Kalaw). Such acts violated the duty of the (police) to enforce the law to prevent and control crimes as they are the perpetrators thereof,” the Office of the Ombudsman’s ruling, approved by Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro, read.

The Ombudsman found Kalaw’s testimony credible, saying “he would not concoct such a traumatic story against respondents if it were not true. He is genuinely aggrieved party who only wants vindication for the injustice committed against him by respondents.”