Antidrug cops’ ‘kotong’ racket gets EPD, Pasay police execs axed

PUBLIC SCOLDING Police Corporal Marlo Sibalo Quibete (right) gets an earful from Police Major General Guillermo Eleazar, NCRPO chief, after the former was arrested for allegedly extorting money from the live-in partner of an arrested drug suspect. —NCRPO PHOTO

The Philippine National Police’s tough “one-strike policy” has resulted in the relief of the top ranking officials of the Eastern Police District (EPD) and Pasay City police.

Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba, the EPD director, and Col. Noel Flores, Pasay City police chief, were fired on Wednesday by Gen. Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police chief, who had earlier vowed to crack down on scalawags as part of the PNP’s internal cleansing.

The sacking of the two police officials came after members of their respective antinarcotics units were arrested for robbery-extortion.

Fired along with Balba were all 15 members of the EPD District Drug Enforcement Unit (DDEU), including their chief, Maj. Allan Miparanum.

Brig. Gen. Christopher Tambungan will replace Balba as EPD director, according to Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief.

Balba’s relief came hours after a DDEU operative, Police Corporal Marlo Sibalo Quibete, was arrested in an entrapment operation at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Barangay Santolan, Pasig City.

The operation was hatched after Eva Cabansag, the partner of a man who had been arrested by the DDEU on drug charges, asked for help from the NCRPO Regional Special Operations Unit.

According to Cabansag, Quibete had demanded more money after he took her necklace and about P60,000 in cash in exchange for her partner’s release.

Police also take motorcycle

She said that she was also forced to sign a deed of sale for a motorcycle the police had taken from them.

Quibete was arrested by NCRPO operatives after he accepted P20,000 in cash from Cabansag. He now faces criminal and administrative charges.

Of the 15 dismissed DDEU members, six were patrolmen or the lowest-ranking police officers. Two of the antidrug officials were senior policemen.

Eleazar said the text messages between Quibete and other DDEU members, including Miparanum, the DDEU head, showed that he did not act alone.

However, the NCRPO has yet to gather enough evidence against the other suspects.

Images of the supposed text messages between Quibete and Miparanum, provided by Eleazar to reporters, hinted at a routine system of extortion. One showed the DDEU chief asking the corporal, “What’s the news, Marlo? Have you gotten the rest of the money from the woman?”

In another exchange, this time between Quibete and Staff Sgt. Frederick Nervar Jr., the latter said: “Let’s pawn her necklace tomorrow and divide the money between us.”

At 4:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Cpl. Sajid Anwar Nasser of the Pasay City Police Station’s drug enforcement unit (SDEU) was arrested in an entrapment operation right inside the police headquarters.

However, his accomplices led by Lt. Ronaldo Frades, SDEU chief; Patrolman Anthony Fernandez and Staff Sgt. Rigor Octaviano, escaped with the P100,000 boodle money. A hunt for them is underway.

Aside from apprehending Nasser, operatives of the PNP’s Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) and NCRPO also rescued George Revilla, who had been detained the day before for alleged drug possession.

The PNP-CITF said that Joan dela Torre, Revilla’s partner, had asked for help after Nasser and the other policemen demanded P100,000 for his release.

No records of operation

The PNP-CITF found out that there were no records of the antidrug operation that led to Revilla’s capture. His arrest was not recorded in the police blotter, either.

Nasser and the other suspects would be charged with kidnapping for ransom, in addition to administrative charges that could lead to their dismissal from service.

Aside from Flores, Albayalde also ordered the sacking of all 27 members of the Pasay SDEU.

Flores was relieved, according to Eleazar, on the principle of command responsibility.