An airport policeman implicated in the bullet-planting extortion racket at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has denied the criminal charges filed against him before the Department of Justice.
During the preliminary investigation hearing on Friday, Police Inspector Adriano Junio of the Philippine National Police—Aviation Security Group belied the allegations in the complaint filed by Lane White, the American missionary reportedly victimized by the scheme last September, and his stepmother Eloisa Zoleta.
Junio submitted a counter-affidavit before investigating Asst. Prosecution Atty. Honey Rose Delgado and sought the dismissal of the complaints against him for violations of Article 293 (robbery and extortion) of the Revised Penal Code, Republic Act 7438, or An Act Defining Certain Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained or under Custodial Investigation and Duties of the Arresting, Detaining or Investigating Officers, and Republic Act 3019, otherwise known as Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The policeman stressed that the complainants simply “misinterpreted” his statements during White’s arrest.
Junio admitted telling White and Zoleta that they would have to pay P30,000, but stressed that such amount was for fine for possession of bullet at the airport. He claimed he did not extort money from the two.
Because of this, he asked the DoJ to dismiss the charges against him.
The five other respondents—SPO4 Ramon Bernardo and SPO2 Romy Navarro and Rolando Clarin, all of PNP-ASG; and Office for Transportation Security personnel Marvin Garcia and Ma. Elma Cegna—were not able to submit their respective answers to the charges.
They asked for 10 more days to submit counter-affidavits. The prosecutor granted the request and gave them until the next hearing on Jan. 18 to answer the charges.