7 more policemen charged

After the charging of 9 La Loma Station 1 Quezon City policemen, now comes the charge against 7 Manila Police District (MPD) again for a robbery-extortion case filed by a Pakistani casino financier victim, Kamran Khan Dawood.

Charged with robbery-extortion were Senior Inspector Rommel Geneblazo, head of the MPD’s anti-car theft unit; Senior Police Officers 1 Gerardo Rivera, Michael Dingding, Jay Perturbos and Jonathan Moreno; and Police Officers 2 Renato Ochinang and Marvin dela Cruz.

The accused officers arrested Dawood at the Manila Pavilion Hotel for allegedly having four vehicles which were included in an alert for stolen vehicles. He was brought to Manila Police Department headquarters where he was threatened with charges of kidnapping if he did not come across with P300,000 which was haggled down to P100,000.

The police officers confiscated the 4 vehicles owned by Dawood. A source said an SUV confiscated by Geneblazo is now missing.

This latest group of policemen charged brings to 42 the number of policemen indicted with a crime the last four weeks.

Meanwhile, a policeman was charged with killing 5 persons in Antipolo.

More killings

Maria Luz Lastimoso, 30, owner of Lady Boss KTV bar in San Juan City was shot dead at her own bar at the corner of F. Blumentritt and Manalo streets.

In the same manner that 75-year-old Zenaida Baby Sison, mother of Cherry Pie Picache, was brutally stabbed to death by robbers in her house, Maria Lim Ramirez, owner of a grocery store, was also robbed and stabbed to death in her Mandaluyong residence.

Rey Cayetano, Aiko Escarda and Jomar Andaya were shot dead by 4 masked gunmen in Caloocan.

Federico Sanchez, 48, a traffic enforcer, was shot dead inside his makeshift hut in Quezon City.

Herbert Aparente was shot dead in Antipolo City.

Death penalty debate

Due to the cases of high-profile murder, kidnapping-for-ransom, drug trafficking and other heinous crimes, Senator Vicente “Tito Sotto III” has filed Senate Bill No. 2080, which was endorsed by Senate President Franklin Drilon, reimposing the death penalty for certain heinous crimes.

Sotto took note of the rise in and worsening incidence of criminality ranging from rape of young girls with homicide and large scale drug trafficking.

In addition, there is the continuing increase in kidnapping with homicide.

Secretary Edwin Lacierda issued a statement that President Aquino remains unconvinced that the death penalty should be revived, citing the flaws in the country’s judicial system.

Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Trenas supported Sotto’s proposal, stressing the need to reimpose the death penalty on those who commit crimes that are so heinous. He said the spate of heinous crimes has become very alarming that people now barely feel safe even inside their homes.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), however, condemned the planned revival of capital punishment saying that a “mistake begets mistakes.”

Lacson: Purisima should retire

Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Panfilo Lacson advised PNP chief Alan Purisima to spare President Aquino from a headache by retiring.

A case for plunder has been filed against Purisima. The President for the second time defended Purisima and turned down calls for him to fire Purisima.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) released copies of Purisima’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) which it considered defective.

Former Philippine Constabulary Chief Lt. Gen. Ramon Montano also joined the calls for Purisima to resign as he is already dragging the entire 148,000 strong police organization down.

Big allocation

Batanes is the smallest province in the Philippines with about 16,000 population.

But it has been given an allocation of more than P500 million in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds because the congresswoman is the wife of Budget Secretary Butch Abad.

This is another good reason why Abad should resign.

Start classes at 8 a.m.

A report of the American Academy of Pedriatics suggested the classes for elementary and high school students start no earlier than 8 a.m. to allow students to get enough rest.

Federation of Association of Private Schools Administrators (FAPSA) president Eleazardo Kasilag said that schools which started at 6 a.m. devote the first two hours to keeping the students awake because they only had a few hours sleep the night before.

Tidbits

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has approved Lucio Co’s entry into Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCom). Retail magnate Lucio Co, owner of P.G. Holdings Inc., has bought 37.7% stake of PBCom through Union Equities Inc., making him the biggest single stockholder.

President Aquino stopped over in San Francisco. He visited Peninsula Gun Store in San Bruno, a record shop at Amoeba Music, and In-N-Out Burger.

Happy birthday greetings to Senator Bong Revilla.