Manila cop faces raps over ‘friendship tax’

MANILA, Philippines - An ambulant watchmaker filed robbery charges against a Manila policeman for allegedly bringing him to the police community precinct in Baseco, Tondo and taking the money from his wallet as a  “friendship tax.”

Danilo Garado, 43, said he was walking along Block 9 Extension in Baseco Compound last June 13 when he was accosted by four men in civilian clothes. He said the men took his wallet, which contains P5,000 he borrowed as capital for his business and two watches he was about to repair that day.

Garado said he and several others were brought to the Baseco precinct and detained while their backgrounds underwent “verification.”

According to Senior Police Officer 1 James Poso, Garado said Police Officer 1 Genovivo Tizon initially told him that he was being detained because he was a robber. Tizon then asked him if he wanted “friends in jail,” to which he answered yes, Garado said, adding that the policeman took him out of the detention cell and returned his wallet, but without the money.

“When I asked him about my money, Tizon said it was his payment for the friendship we had just forged. He then told me to go home and not to tell his colleagues,” Garado said. He said he learned the name of the policeman from the people who saw the incident.

Garado went to the Manila Police District yesterday and identified Tizon from the data personnel sheet at the headquarters. Tizon, confronted by his accuser, scolded Garado and threatened to sue the watchmaker if he cannot prove his allegation, Poso said.