Pampanga court orders arrest of 2 ‘ninja cops’ for perjury
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—A municipal trial court here on Friday ordered the arrest of two of the so-called ninja cops for perjury in connection with the release of a Chinese suspect in a drug sting operation in 2013.
The court also set a bond of P18,000 each for SPO1 Ronald Bayas Santos and PO3 Romeo Encarnacion Guerrero Jr.
The two were among 13 policemen who allegedly failed to account for the confiscated items obtained from a Chinese suspect, Johnson Lee, in a buy-bust operation on Nov. 29, 2013, in Mexico town, Pampanga province.
Unaware
The evidence included 200 kilograms of “shabu” (crystal meth), P55 million in cash and a Toyota Fortuner.
In the information filed by state prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Jan. 28, Santos and Guerrero supposedly “testified falsely under oath” against Ding Wenkun, another drug suspect who was freed in 2018.
Police Col. Chris Abrahano, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Central Luzon, said he was not aware of any other arrest warrants issued from the new cases filed by the DOJ in various courts in Pampanga.
It was the CIDG that filed the original complaints in May 2014 against then Supt. Rodney Baloyo and 12 members of provincial anti-illegal drugs and special operations.
New charges
Dismissed for insufficiency of evidence on Oct. 6, 2014, the complaints underwent automatic review by the DOJ in 2018 for which a special panel of prosecutors was formed in October 2019 to reinvestigate.
The recent filing of nine new charges against the 13 policemen followed the panel’s resolution on Jan. 10.
Baloyo, Santos, Guerrero, Insp. Joven Bagnot de Guzman Jr., SPO1 Jules Lacap Maniago, SPOI Donald Castro Roque, SPO1 Rommel Muñoz Vital, SPO1 Alcindor Mangiduyos Tinio, PO3 Dindo Singian Dizon, PO3 Gilbert Angeles de Vera, PO2 Anthony Loleng Lacsamana, SPO1 Eligio Dayos Valeroso and SPO1 Dante Mercado Dizon were sued for alleged anomalous police operation in Pampanga in 2013.
They were also sued for qualified bribery and violating the antigraft and corruption law.
For approval
The DOJ endorsed to the Ombudsman for approval its finding of probable cause for causing any undue injury to any party, including the government, against former Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde, the resigned Philippine National Police chief.
