EXTORTIONIST COPS Drug suspect “Cyrus” points to photos of the police officers of Las Piñas who arrested him and demanded money from his family for his release. PHOTO FROM NCRPO
The National Capital Region Office (NCRPO) chief has relieved the chief of the Las Piñas police station and its entire antidrug force after seven of its personnel were found to have abducted and extorted money from an arrested drug suspect.
Director Guillermo Eleazar sacked Senior Supt. Marion Balonglong as chief of Las Piñas police for “command responsibility.” He was replaced by Senior Supt. Simnar Gran, the chief of NCRPO’s Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division as officer in charge.
Manhunt ordered
The 32 remaining police officers of the Station Drug Enforcement Unit were ordered transferred to the Southern Police District’s holding unit, while the case is being investigated.
Their supervisor, Senior Insp. Edgardo Tigbao, was suspended earlier on Thursday.
Balonglong, who was surprised by Eleazar’s announcement at a press conference at the Las Piñas station on Friday, said he would follow the order but maintained he was not aware of his men’s racket.
No record of arrest
Eleazar ordered a manhunt for the seven antidrugs policemen of Las Piñas police who eluded an entrapment operation late on Wednesday, after they demanded P200,000 for the release of a drug pusher they had arrested.
Balonglong noted that there were no records of the arrest of the drug pusher in both the police stations of Silang and Las Piñas.
Authorities were only able to arrest a 13-year-old boy, whom the suspects used as a courier. He was turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The wanted policemen, meanwhile, sped off on board a dark grey Isuzu Hi-Lander, with a “Sinaglahi” sticker.
They were identified as PO3 Joel Lupig, PO2 Vener Guanlao, PO1 Jason Arellano, PO1 Mark Jefferson Fulgencio, PO1 Jeffrey de Leon, PO1 Raymart Gomez, and PO1 Erickson Rivera.
Criminal charges of robbery-extortion were filed against them, as well as administrative charges, which could result in their dismissal from service.
The seven have not reported for work since Thursday. They were also not found in their respective residences.
“They better surrender, otherwise they’ll be hunted down like rotten criminals,” Eleazar advised the seven scalawag policemen, whom he noted were “armed and dangerous.”