Espina sacks 2 cops for extortion

MANILA, Philippines - Two Quezon City policemen accused of extorting money from a call center agent were relieved yesterday by National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Leonardo Espina.

Metro Manila’s police chief also ordered Police Officers 1 George Verbo Jr. and Thomas Jansen Tulio disarmed and detained prior to the filing of administrative cases against them.

Call center agent Salustiano John Douglas accused Verbo and Tulio, both assigned at the Fairview police station, of arresting him on false charges and extorting P15,000 from him.

Another policeman, PO1 Benjie Tan, was also identified by Douglas in the alleged extortion but he has not surfaced, according to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano.

“They have no place in the police service. They should be sacked once proven guilty so others would not emulate them,” Espina said.

Albano said the three were identified through police files presented to Douglas and his partner, Nominia Blanco, on Wednesday.

“We will not condone any wrongdoing… among our personnel,” he said in an interview.

Two police informants, Jerry Sorra and Domingo Mendaro, were arrested in an entrapment operation when Sorra tried to contact Blanco after the extortion incident, said QCPD deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao.

Inquest Prosecutor Conrado Rosario recommended the filing of extortion charges yesterday against Verbo, Tulio, Sorra and Mendaro and set bail at P100,000 for each of them.

Rosario also recommended that the charges against Tulio and Tan be subjected to further investigation.

Pickup crew

Albano said that Douglas was waiting for his partner along Buick street in Fairview when five men in a Mitsubishi Montero arrested him at around 10 a.m. He said Verbo handcuffed him while Tulio drove the Montero.

“They punched me repeatedly while we were in the car,” Douglas stated in Filipino in his affidavit. He said that when they arrived at the Fairview police station, the policemen brought him to the basement, where they reportedly choked and hit him.

“They were telling me to confess that I ordered their companion to buy drugs. It was the first time I saw that person,” Douglas said.

Blanco said she was immediately led to the basement when she arrived at the police station. She said Verbo “threatened” that if she was unable to produce P20,000 by 2 p.m. that day, her partner would be brought to Camp Crame.

She said she was able to negotiate the amount down to P15,000. Another policeman told her that if she does not produce the money, her partner would undergo inquest proceedings.

Blanco said Mendaro told her that if she filed a complaint, her partner would be killed. She said Sorra, who posed as a policeman, who reportedly accepted the P15,000 from her.