Cop airs side on Espina extort try

MANILA, Philippines - The partner of a policeman accused of trying to extort money from a son of National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said yesterday he himself was shocked at what Senior Police Officer 4 Jose dela Peña had done.

In an interview with The STAR, Police Officer 2 Resty del Rosario said it was the first time he went on patrol with Dela Peña Tuesday night since his regular “buddy” was absent during that particular shift. He said he had planned to skip his shift since his baby turned four months old that day, but eventually decided to report for work.

Del Rosario, 28, has been in the police service for only five years, said he is innocent and that only Dela Peña talked to Espina’s son. “I felt my heart was being crushed,” he said, referring to the moment he heard his name mentioned in radio reports that branded him and his partner “kotong (extortion) cops.”

‘Code 2’

According to Del Rosario, Dela Peña told him that the man they encountered was “a child of General Espina” and that “Hindi ko naman na-Code 2 (I was not able to Code 2).” He said he was shocked at the older policeman’s admission.

“Mali iyon, ‘Ta. Hindi mo dapat ginawa iyon (That was wrong, ‘Ta. You shouldn’t have done it),” he told Dela Peña.

In police parlance, “Code 2” refers to extortion or kotong, while “Ta” is a contraction of “Tata,” a term used by younger police officers to address more senior colleagues.

Del Rosario said that at this point, Dela Peña turned pale and his voice sounded tense. He said he himself was furious because he had no idea what Dela Peña had actually done.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have agreed. I love my job,” he said yesterday.

He said he has never been involved in any misconduct in his years as a police officer. Dela Peña has been charged with seven administrative cases, two of them for robbery extortion.

Shut up and drive

Del Rosario has been with the Quezon City Police District’s Mobile Patrol Unit (MPU) since Aug. 10. He was with the QCPD’s district public safety battalion for two years.

When Del Rosario reported for the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, he said it turned out Dela Peña also had no partner so the two of them ended up as buddies for that shift. He described the older policeman as a “field supervisor.”

He said they saw a Kia Rio between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. parked along Hemady street, with the driver still inside, contrary to earlier reports that the man was on his phone as he stood beside the car.

Del Rosario said Dela Peña, who was then driving the patrol car, got out and went to check on the Kia Rio. When Dela Peña returned, he gave him the car keys, told him to drive the patrol car and follow the Kia Rio. He said Dela Peña then took over the man’s car.

“I thought we would go to (Camp) Karingal,” he said, noting that this was the standard operating procedure whenever they encounter an alleged violator on the road.

ATM booths

When they reached an ATM booth along Santolan Road, he grew suspicious. He said he could not leave his partner since an alleged violator could fight him off. He said Dela Peña did not have with him their handheld two-way radio and he did not know his new partner’s cell phone number.

Del Rosario said the man got out of the car but his partner allegedly summoned him back less than a minute later. The Rio’s next stop was at another ATM booth a few meters away. This time, no one came out of the car. After about 45 seconds, Dela Peña allegedly ran back to the police car and told him about the “Code 2.”

He said Dela Peña left the Rio so quickly that he failed to return the man’s driver’s license. They later received a call on the two-way radio, telling them to report back to base at around 10:30 p.m.

When they returned to Camp Karingal, they were summoned by their immediate superior, Chief Inspector Jerome dela Cruz, who heads the QCPD-MPU, who received a call from Espina himself about the incident.

According to Del Rosario, Dela Peña denied, in front of Dela Cruz, that he extorted money from Espina’s son.

They were then told to see Superintendent Ferdinand Villanueva, head of the QCPD’s District Investigation and Detective Management Division, to surrender the license that Dela Peña had confiscated from the man.

Sacked

Contrary to earlier reports that he skipped work on Wednesday, Del Rosario said it was his day off that day. When he heard from colleagues they were being ordered to explain, he went to Camp Karingal on Thursday an hour earlier than his shift. He found out they had been relieved of their assignment and were being disarmed.

Del Rosario faced QCPD director Chief Superintendent Mario dela Vega on Thursday afternoon and explained his side. According to Dela Vega, Dela Peña had gone missing and was no longer at his house when he sent a team there.

Del Rosario said he received a call from Dela Peña on Thursday night, asking him what was happening at the headquarters. “I don’t know how he got my number,” he said.

He said he told Dela Peña that he had surrendered his gun and they were being asked to report. Dela Peña allegedly told him, “Sige, susubukan ko. Tawag-tawag na lang (I’ll try. Let’s keep in touch).”

It was the last time they communicated. Dela Peña remains at large.