Cop relieved for allegedly selling ‘hot car’ to fellow officer

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY –– A policeman reported to have sold an illegally acquired car to his fellow police officer has been relieved from duty, police here reported.

Lt. Col. Mardy Hortillosa, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police Region 10, said Capt. Ramces Cartajena had been relieved from his post after the Sept. 24 arrest of another police officer, Capt. Santos Monares, the deputy commander of Marawi City police station, who failed to present documents of the white Ford Everest car he recently bought.

It was reported that Monares could not show an official receipt and certificate of registration of the vehicle he bought when accosted by the Highway Patrol Unit in Marawi.

Monares told investigators he bought the car from Cartajena, who had been working for the PNP-10’s 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company based in Malaybalay City.

Major Jemar delos Santos, spokesperson of the Bangsamoro regional police, said the vehicle confiscated from Monares could have been a stolen car.

Hortillosa said Cartajena had been told to report to the Regional Police Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) while awaiting formal charges to be filed against him. He said the reassignment, which started on October 7, would ensure that he would not jeopardize his job at the PNP.

“[PNP-10] will never tolerate any misconduct of its personnel but we will also assure due process,” Hortillosa said.

He added, though, that no complaint had been filed against Cartajena, so far.

“(The) reason we could not file a formal administrative charge against [him] is that (there are no charges yet and) PNP cannot go onto a pre-charge investigation. We are following the due process in investigating our personnel,” he said.

Hortillosa said the relieved police officer would remain at the RPHAU until an order for him to go back to his unit is issued.

Those deployed at the RPHAU are police personnel facing charges or just waiting to be re-assigned to another unit, he said./lzb