Seven more police officers assigned in drug enforcement unit were placed under arrest on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the kidnap-for-ransom and extortion case in Cavite.
Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar presented to members of the media the seven policemen— Police Staff Sergeant Joel Lupig; Police Corporal Vener and Jayson Arellano, and Patrolmen Jeffrey De Leon, Mark Jefferson Fulgencio, Raymart Gomez and Erickson Rivera, all assigned at the Las Piñas Police Drug Enforcement Unit.
Eleazar said the arrest was made after Judge Jose Lorenzo dela Rosa, of Tagaytay City 4th Judicial Region Branch 134, issued a warrant against the police officers on March 1.
The police officers are now detained at the National Capital Region Police Office-Headquarters Support Group Custodial Detention in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.
Investigation showed that on Nov. 21, 2018, the policemen then assigned at Las Piñas City Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit tried to extort money from the sister of their arrested drug suspect in exchange for his release.
But the suspect’s sister sought the help of the NCRPO that led to the entrapment operation against the police officers who were charged with kidnapping with serious illegal detention.
Meanwhile, Eleazar apologized for losing his temper to a police officer arrested for extortion in Pasig City. He also denied slapping and pulling the hair of Police Corporal Marlo Siblao Quibete when he presented the latter to media men.
“I’m apologizing to you if it appeared that I was not able to control my emotions but these people, there’s no place for them [in the police force],” he said.
“I didn’t slap him, I didn’t hit him on the chest. I didn’t pull his hair. I pulled his collar, I made him face me, and I pointed my finger at him. That’s just right. He deserved that.”
Eleazar made the apology even as President Rodrigo Duterte supported his actions.
In a statement on Thursday, Eleazar said that the “President’s approval on the way I handled the cops involved in robbery/extortion activity yesterday only shows the consistency of our President—how he abhors policemen involved in the illegal drug trade and policemen taking advantage of our war against illegal drugs to make money for themselves.
“Based on the President’s message, our mandate has been established. The PNP is tasked with implementing an all-out war against illegal drugs and cops who are in one way or another involved in this illegal trade. This is why our current Chief PNP Oscar Albayalde launched our Internal Cleansing campaign—the primary targets being cops in the drug trade, and secondary targets being cops in criminal acts,” he said.
Eleazar vowed that the NCRPO will relentlessly pursue and remove police scalawags in their ranks.
“The President has even given us a substantial wage increase, so there should not be any cases like these robbery extortion cases anymore,” he said.
According to reports, more than 400 police officers have been dismissed from the service since President Duterte took office in 2016.
Quibete, a member of the Eastern Police District’s (EPD) Drug Enforcement Unit, was caught red handed accepting marked money from his victim during an entrapment operation. On the same day, Pasay City police officer Anwar Nasser was also arrested for kidnap-for-ransom.
Eleazar immediately ordered the relief of EPD director Police Brigadier General Bernabe Balba and Pasay City Police chief Police Colonel Noel Flores, citing command responsibility after the arrest of Quibete and Nasser.
Balba was replaced by Brig. Gen. Christopher Tambungan while Police Colonel Sterling Blanco was temporarily appointed as Pasay City Police Station chief.
Forty-two other policemen assigned in EPD and Pasay police drug enforcement teams were also relieved and are being investigated to determine if they were also involved in illegal activities.