12 cops charged for ‘paihi’ arrests

MANILA, Philippines - Officials of an oil firm, two shipping companies and 25 of their employees have filed arbitrary detention and grave misconduct charges against 12 National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) police officers for allegedly illegally arresting them in October.

The complainants said the police officers accused them of engaging in “paihi” or fuel pilferage when what actually they are doing is “bunkering” or loading their boat with diesel.

The complainants are seeking close to P10 million in actual and moral damages against Superintendent Harry Domingo, chief of the NCRPO’s regional police intelligence and operations unit (RPIOU) and his men, Senior Inspector John Gano; Inspector Joel Corpuz; Police Officers 3 Mesa Campos Jr. and Sarlito Ferraren Jr.; PO2 Jose Marco Canas; and PO1s Aldrin Borje, Ann Mae Roxas, Vandolh Vapones, Nelmar de los Santos, Banjamin Macaraig Jr. and Julius Villafuerte.

In a 23-page complaint filed last week, the three firms and their employees also sought the preventive suspension of Domingo and his men to prevent them from “influencing” the case while it is being heard by the Office of the Ombudsman.

EON Petroleum Corp., Portavaga Ship Management Inc., Shogun Ships Co. Inc. and their empmloyees said that M/T Melissa Rae arrived at Delpan in Manila on Oct. 10 for repair, bunkering and refueling. However, the Philippine Ports Authority advised the ship captain to transfer to the Federation Standby Area in Escolta as Delpan was overcrowded.

At about 6:30 p.m., a tanker truck of Unioil was loading diesel into the ship’s tank when RPIOU police officers, mostly in civilian clothes, arrived and accused them of being involved in fuel pilferage.

The complainants said they asked the police officers if they had search or arrest warrants, but the lawmen simply arrested them without reading them their Miranda rights, herded them into a passenger jeepney and brought them to the NCRPO headquarters at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

The three firms’ employees alleged that they were verbally abused each time they asked the police officers what law they violated.

Domingo filed charges of violation of Batasang Pambansa 33 Section 2, paragraph (a) as amended by Presidential Decree 1865 and Republic Act 8749 or the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1988 against the employees with the Manila prosecutor’s office. The employees were released after posting bail.

The complainants also charged the 12 police officers with committing acts contrary to law and regulations; unreasonable, unfair and oppressive acts; acts that are irregular, immoral or devoid of justification as well as other provisions of Administrative Order 7.

Shogun Ships claimed it lost P3.5 million for failing to deliver the fuel to its client.

Portavaga is seeking P656,419 in actual damages and EON Petroleum, P650,000. The three firms’ 25 employees are seeking P200,000 each in moral damages.