Eleazar denies slapping, pulling hair of cop arrested for extortion

NCRPO chief Major General Guillermo Eleazar scolds Police Corporal Marlo Siblao Quibete, who was arrested in an entrapment operation in Pasig City on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, for allegedly extorting cash from the live-in partner of an arrested drug suspect. Photo courtesy of NCRPO

MANILA, Philippines — National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Major General Guillermo Eleazar on Wednesday denied slapping, pulling the hair, and punching the chest of a policeman arrested for alleged robbery-extortion in Pasig City.

Police Corporal Marlo Siblao Quibete was caught in an entrapment operation on Tuesday night for allegedly receiving P20,000 in marked cash from a woman in exchange of dropping the charges filed against her live-in partner, who was arrested for illegal drugs.

Eleazar confronted Quibete after his arrest, as shown in videos released by the media. He also reportedly rained expletives at the arrested police officer for becoming a bad example to the police force.

But Eleazar said the angle of cameras used in the reports seemed to show he slapped Quibete.

“Alam mo ‘yung angle ng camera kasi ay akala mo sinasampal. Tinitingala kong ganyan, gusto kong makita eye to eye,” he said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.

(You know the angle of the camera may make it appear that I slapped him. I only lifted up his face because I want to look him eye to eye.)

READ: EPD drug unit relieved after cop arrested for extortion

“Hindi ko sinampal iyan, hindi ko dinibdiban. Tinataas ko ‘yung mukha niya. Hindi ko rin sinabunutan. Halos walang buhok nga eh, diba? Pero gusto kong makita ang mukha niya,” he said.

(I did not slap him or punched him in the chest. I just lifted up his face. I also did not pull his hair. He almost did not have hair right? But I wanted to see his face.)

“‘Yung dinuro, siguro dinuro. Pero ‘yung sinampal, hindi ko sinampal. Sinabunutan, hindi ko sinabunutan. Dinibdiban, hindi. Pero kinwelyohan ko, tiningala ko ang mukha at dinuro ko. Dapat lang. He deserves that,” Eleazar said.

(I pointed a finger at him, yes. But I did not slap him. I did not pull his hair. I did not punch his chest. But I grabbed him by his shirt’s collar. I lifted his face and I pointed a finger at him. It’s just right. He deserves that.)

But Eleazar, who has also confronted alleged scalawag police officers in the NCRPO in the past, apologized for losing his temper.

“Humihingi ako ng paumanhin kung medyo hindi ako nakapagtimpi at nailabas [ko] ‘yung aking emosyon [I apologize if I have not controlled my temper and I showed my emotion],” he said, but added that misfits in the ranks should not be handled lightly.

Saying that he is pissed off at police officers who, despite repeated warnings, engage in illegal activities, Eleazar warned that officers who will continue in their illegal activities will not go scot-free.

He also said that the arrest of Quibete and the capture on Wednesday of Corporal Anwar Encarnacion Nasser from the Station Drug Enforcement Unit of the Pasay City Police Station show that the Philippine National Police is “dead serious” in its internal cleansing program. /jpv

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