Police brass rapped over P6-M rob case

The police regional director of Central Mindanao and four of his staff are in hot water for reportedly mishandling the P6.5-million Quezon City robbery case that took Camp Crame-based intelligence operatives almost three months to solve, with the arrest of four principal suspects in Maguindanao recently.

This was learned yesterday after the victim, Hi Leng Lim, informed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Leandro Mendoza, of the alleged irregularities in the Central Maguindanao police’s handling of the investigation of the case.

In his letter-complaint to Mendoza, Lim questioned the motive of Senior Superintendent Bartolome Baluyot, police director for Central Mindanao, his staff: Superintendents Romeo Rufino, Abelardo Villacorta, Fred Bartolome and Chief Inspector Nicolas for releasing the firearms seized from the arrested suspects to Philippine Army (PA) personnel, despite the absence of a court order.

Worse, according to Lim in his letter, Baluyot and his men failed for still unknown reason to file illegal possession of firearms charges against the suspects.

A Malabon-based fishing magnate, Lim lost a total of P6.5 million in various foreign currencies to a group of unidentified men who robbed his money delivery and foreign exchange shop in Quezon City last September.

The PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Intelligence Group (IG) who initially handled the case, identified the suspects as Jerry Roman Jr., Cesar Bergonia, Bergonia’s wife Betcheva and his brother Ronnel.

After three months of extensive investigation and surveillance operations, the suspects, all of Barangay Don Carlos, Pasay, were arrested at Barangay Rebuken, Sultan Kudarat, by joint police operatives from the PNP Task Force Sanlahi which Bartolome headed, arrested the suspects last December 20.

They also recovered $3,000; P7,000 all in cash, an ATM card with an account balance of P100,000, assorted number firearms, a motorcycle and a Nissan Safari.

"My wife and I had a meeting with Senior Superintendent Baluyot last Dec. 23 in Davao City. He informed us that a case of illegal possession of firearms will be filed immediately against the arrested persons," Lim said.

Lim, however, told Mendoza that Baluyot later informed him that the case of illegal possession of firearms can’t be filed against the suspects as the said firearms would be returned to the Army, which, which is claiming ownership.

"I was with the business delegation of our President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her trip to Jakarta, Indonesia. During the trip, I met businessmen from Mindanao who were able to convince me to invest in General Santos City. I have now totally abandoned that plan because of this sad experience my wife and I have encountered at PNP-Region XII," Lim told Mendoza. — Jaime Laude