Eleazar denies rape in arrests a practice among cops

Director Guillermo Eleazar, NCRPO chief (File photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)

Police Director Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), denied on Monday that rape in exchange for the freedom of drug suspects was a practice among the police.

Eleazar said this after PO1 Eduardo Valencia was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl in exchange for the freedom of her parents nabbed by police for alleged illegal drugs possession.

“Hindi totoo na ginagawa ng pulis iyon. Hindi totoo na normal iyon na ginagawa [ng pulis] (It’s not true that the police do that. It’s not true that the police normally do that),” he told INQUIRER.net.

Eleazar said the NCRPO has not received any similar reports akin to Valencia’s case.

He also clarified that the suspect did not say that his crime was a practice among the police. Eleazar said what Valencia meant was it is not new that drug suspects accuse the police of committing illegal acts during arrests.

Eleazar, however, said that there was enough evidence to charge Valencia.

He also warned erring police officers who might commit similar crimes.

“Hindi dapat nila ginagawa iyan. Pag nalaman namin iyan, hindi namin sasantuhin iyang mga iyan. Hindi namin itotolerate iyan,” he said.

(They should not do that. If we discover that the police do that, we won’t spare them. We won’t tolerate them.)/ac