SPD to probe Pasay chief's link to suspected carjack gang leader

MANILA, Philippines - The Southern Police District (SPD) will conduct an “internal investigation” into allegations that Pasay City police chief Senior Superintendent Napoleon Cuaton has been coddling suspected carjack gang leader Ronaldo Santiago.

In an interview, a high-ranking SPD official told The STAR that “circulating text messages” accused Cuaton of protecting Santiago, the alleged head of the Onad carjack and robbery group.

The allegations, the source said, stemmed from at least two issues.

The first was when Santiago surrendered to Cuaton in July after a Las Piñas City court ordered his arrest for car theft. The Pasay police turned over Santiago to their Las Piñas counterparts.

The second cropped up after a recent shootout between the National Capital Region police, wherein supposed members of the Onad group allegedly confessed that Santiago frequented Cuaton’s office.

”We will look into that but it will be an internal investigation. We cannot open it to you,” the police official said. “It’s also too early to make conclusions because there might be politics here with a lot of policemen aspiring for his (Cuaton’s) post.” the official added.

Cuaton, for his part, denied protecting Santiago and said all his actions were legal. “How can I be the protector when it was my men who dissolved Onad’s group in January? We filed cases and sent them to jail,” he said.

As a police officer, it was his duty to take custody of wanted persons who voluntarily surrendered, Cuaton said. He also claimed that there was “nothing illegal” if Santiago frequented his office since the person has abandoned the group after the January arrest in a bid to “start a new life.”

”Besides, this is an official office. What is wrong is if I meet him in places outside my office. These people are just tarnishing my reputation because they want my post,” Cuaton said.

Santiago had been arrested at least twice by SPD and Pasay police in December 2010 and January 2011, respectively. His group purportedly rear-ends victims’ cars to carjack the vehicles.

They never charged Santiago with carjacking although his alleged underlings have confessed to being part of the Onad group. Instead, Santiago was slapped with illegal possession of firearms since undocumented guns were seized from him during the separate raids.

Both the police source and Cuaton claimed that there was “no evidence” that could directly link Santiago to the carjacking activities.