Manila cop in P2-M heist surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - A Manila policeman who was accused of barging into a businesswoman’s house in Sta. Ana and robbing her family of P2 million in valuables last month surrendered Wednesday.

Police Officer 3 Morris Malindog said he decided to turn himself in to Director Alan Purisima, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), to clear his name.

Malindog told Purisima he was on duty at a police station of the Manila Police District (MPD) at the time of the robbery at the home of Marc Bagui, Shental Bagui and Patricia Velzy in Sta. Ana last May 30.

Malindog said he was in his office at the MPD’s Station 6 at about 8 p.m. when a certain SPO1 Meneses dispatched him to an ongoing riot along Pedro Gil street.

He responded to the riot along with his fellow police officers, who later submitted an affidavit corroborating Malindog’s claim.

He also presented to Purisima a copy of the MPD’s Station 6 logbook to show that he was at Pedro Gil street last May 30.

Malindog, along with PO1 Robert Cruz, barangay security officer Reggie Osalla and a still unidentified man, have been accused of taking P2 million worth of valuables belonging to the Bagui family.

Osalla denied being involved in the robbery, but yielded a pouch bag containing Velzy’s personal belongings when he was arrested right after the heist.

During a follow-up operation, the victims saw Cruz in Station 6 and identified Malindog through a photograph on his personal data sheet.

While Cruz and Osalla were charged with robbery, Malindog went into hiding until Senior Superintendent Robert Po, MPD deputy chief for operations, ordered a massive manhunt for him.

Purisima said Malindog went into hiding to evade being jailed while the case against him was being reviewed by the Manila prosecutor’s office.

However, right after his surrender, Malindog was charged with robbery and the prosecutor handling his case ordered him jailed at the MPD.