PNP sacks 7 cops, demotes 4 others

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police dismissed seven police officers and demoted four more yesterday for various infractions.

This brought to 22 the number of police officers, including “kotong” cop Senior Police Officer 4 Jose dela Peña, dismissed from the service since Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina took over the helm of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) last Sept. 7.

“My administration only needs true and dedicated cops, otherwise they do not belong in our ranks,” Espina declared as he promised to fulfill his pledge to resolve pending grave misconduct cases against NCRPO policemen in a 30-day period.

The dismissal of the seven policemen and the demotion of four others is pursuant to the Memorandum Circular 2007-001 of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), Espina said.

Those dismissed were PO1 Harold Meneses of the Manila Police District for grave misconduct (homicide and serious physical injuries); PO1 Ollan Alexis de Guzman of the NCRPO’s Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB), for grave misconduct (robbery); PO1 Rustico Gabuco of MPD’s Pandacan police station for grave misconduct (homicide and serious neglect of duty); PO1 Ferdinand Pabilada of MPD’s District Headquarters Support Unit for serious neglect of duty and less grave misconduct; and PO2 Glen Trani, PO2 Melchor Barolo and PO1 Arnold Baldonado of MPD’s DHSU for serious neglect of duty.

The four policemen demoted by one rank for grave misconduct were SPO2 Joseph Marayag, SPO1 Edgardo Buluran, SPO1 Fernando San Juan, and PO2 Pablo Basmayor, all from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

All 11 dismissed and demoted policemen were duly given notice of the decisions, Espina said.

Meneses was found guilty of killing Mikael Troy Rasay on July 31, 2011 in Quezon City. The administrative case against him was pursued by Rasay’s father, Joseph Troy Rasay.

De Guzman was dismissed after Elizabeth Ochoa complained that he was among those who robbed her and her friend on Aug. 4, 2011 in Malabon City. Ochoa said she and her friend were waiting for a ride when a car with plate number TEX-800 stopped in front of them. The occupants of the car dragged them inside and robbed them.

Ochoa filed charges against De Guzman at the Malabon fiscal’s office but the policeman repeatedly failed to appear at the hearings.

Gabuco was marked absent without official leave (AWOL) three days before allegedly killing Jun King Mercado in Tondo on March 27.

Pabilada, Trani, Barolo and Baldonado were all dismissed due to serious neglect of duty by being AWOL.

Marayag, Buluran, San Juan and Basmayor were the subjects of a complaint filed by Regarbert Barsilona on May 27, 2006. He accused the four policemen of extorting money from him to file charges against three men who beat him up.