‘Honesty teams’ to go after ‘kotong’ cops on C. Luzon highways

Chief Superintendent Vidal Querol, Central Luzon police director, has deployed undercover policemen along major highways throughout the region to go after "kotong" policemen preying on truckers, haulers and even motorists.

Querol said "honesty teams" from the regional police headquarters and provincial and city police offices in so-called "kotong delinquent areas" in the region, have been fielded since the other week.

He said the undercover policemen were initially deployed along Olongapo-Gapan Road, Cagayan Valley Road, Cabanatuan-Zaragoza-Tarlac Road, Magalang-Concepcion Road and the entire stretch of the North Luzon Expressway.

Querol said he made the move following reports that the extortion activities of some unscrupulous policemen and even some private individuals have become rampant.

"Even if there is no element of coercion involved, or whether the motorists are doing it voluntarily, they are unwittingly contributing to the problem of street corruption. This must be stopped," he said.

Querol said the "ho—nesty teams" are armed with still and video cameras to document the extortion and shakedown activities of police personnel and members of other law enforcement agencies.

He said the move is in line with the thrust of Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes of weeding out erring law enforcers.

"This campaign is not only meant to eradicate the problem of street corruption, but more importantly, to eliminate kotong. Traders and merchants of farm commodities need not shell out bribe money which eventually adds up to the prices of their products. The public ultimately bears the brunt," Querol said.