Southern Police District director Tomas Apolinario Jr. on Tuesday ordered the relief of the entire force of a police community precinct in Taguig City after four of its members were arrested for their involvement in a kidnap-for-ransom incident.
Apolinario said all 39 uniformed members of the Western Bicutan PCP 1, including their commander Senior Insp. Joel Villafania, were relieved effective July 31 and reassigned to the National Capital Region Police Office—Headquarters Support Group in Camp Bagong Diwa in a floating status.
He said the relief order was made upon the instruction of Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar to give way to an investigation to be conducted to determine if they were also involved in kidnap-for-ransom activities.
“They will be replaced by our men coming from the NCRPO headquarters,” said Apolinario in a phone interview with Manila Standard.
At least three members of PCP 1 namely Police Officer 1 (PO1) Bryan Amir Bajoof, PO1 Paolo Ocampo and PO2 Joey Maru were arrested while their companion PO1 Gerardo Ancheta was killed during an entrapment and rescue operation along Tandem Street in Arca South, Western Bicutan around 3:30 am.
Apolinario said the four policemen were members of the Maru kidnap-for-ransom group led by PO2 Maru.
He added that operatives of the Taguig City Police-Station Drug Enforcement Unit and Special Operation Unit conducted the entrapment operation following a complaint from a certain Ronielyn Caraecle.
Caraecle said she was having a conversation with her boyfriend Samuel inside their house at Viscara Street in Barangay New Lower Bicutan around 12:30 am when four armed men barged into their house and took their P7,000 cash, two gold watches and wallets.
She added that after taking the money and valuables, the four men seized them and drove them to Arca South while being asked to produce P50,000.00 in exchange for their liberty.
Caraecle's relative was able to produce P20,000. The abductors released her to get the remaining P30,000 while Samuel remained in their custody.
Fearing for her life, Caraecle went to the police and the entrapment was made resulting in a police encounter with the suspects, the killing of Ancheta and the rescue of Samuel in an area near the FTI construction site.
Initial investigation showed that the incident was not the first involving the four policemen, as the same suspects were also involved in the robbery of Moreen del Castillo of MLQ Street, Purok 2 in Barangay New Lower Bicutan at 8:30 pm on Monday.
The suspects reportedly entered Del Castillo’s residence and took her P50,000.
Recovered from the suspects were four service firearms with magazines, two extra magazines, P10,600 cash, one Michael Korrs gold watch, three mobile phones, two sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia.
"We are now preparing the filing of kidnapping and robbery holdup charges against the suspects," said Apolinario.
Apolinario added that while the Philippine National Police is doing everything within its power to discipline erring policemen "we also ask the cooperation of the public by providing us with information that could lead to the apprehension and prosecution of those involved in various criminal activities."
"It is good that the citizens are now reporting the kotong cops and any illegal activities committed by our fellow PNP personnel through Team NCRPO hotlines numbers 0915-888-8181 and 0999-901-8181. This should be further encouraged," he added.
For his part, Eleazar assured the public that "these misguided personnel are just few but we must deal with them to protect the many dedicated policemen."
"The internal cleansing program of the PNP is being carried out on a nationwide scale and the PNP leadership is determined to implement this until all the laggards and the undesirables are weed out and made to face sanctions," With PNA