The Counter-Intelligence Task Force of the Philippine National Police on Monday arrested a municipal chief of police for extorting money from a town fair operator in Pampanga.
Chief Supt. Amador Corpus, Police Regional Office 3 director, identified the arrested officer as Chief Insp. Romeo Bulanadi, the police chief of Sasmuan town.
This came a day before CITF operatives nabbed six policemen assigned to the municipal police station of Caranglan, Nueva Ecija for extorting money from traveling merchants at a checkpoint in the town.
Corpus said Bulanadi personally received the marked money during an during an entrapment operation by the CITF inside the Sasmuan Municipal Police Station.
His arrest stemmed from complaints reaching the office of PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa that Bulanadi was allegedly squeezing money from operators of a local “peryahan” amounting to P30,000 to keep them from hauling their equipment out of Sasmuan.
The CITF operation report confirmed this and brought Bulanadi under its custody for documentation, for filing a case against him, and his possible dismissal from the police service.
“This series of counter-intelligence operations against our PNP personnel shows efforts of the PNP in removing bad eggs from the police force, and that the rule of law does not distinguish rank, position or popularity, whether victim or respondent in the PNP organization,” Corpuz said.
“This is a clear manifestation of our keen determination to remove misfits among the ranks of our organization,” he emphasized.
Corpuz encouraged the public to report any errant PNP personnel, and appealed for the public to continue helping their fight against lawlessness.
On Tuesday, task force spokesman Chief Insp. Jewel Nicanor said the CITF arrested the policemen in Caranglan, identified as SPO1 Antonio Otic, PO3 Danilo Sotelo, PO3 Ronald Buncad, PO3 Oliver Antonio, PO2 Rodrigo Edralin and PO2 Romeo Nunez III.
Also arrested were two civilians acting as collectors for the cops, Ramon Cabilangan and Darwin Lagisma.
Dela Rosa said he would recommend administrative cases against the arrested “kotong” (extortionist) cops before their summary dismissal proceedings, and reiterated his policy to stamp out “rotten eggs” from the police service.