KIDAPAWAN CITY–Police arrested on Sunday (Feb. 16) five persons allegedly extorting P25,000 from a cockfight arena in Magpet town, Cotabato province.
Two of those arrested claimed they were media workers of T-Radio FM based in Davao City but T-Radio FM denied they were employed by the station.
Brig. Gen. Alfred Corpus, regional police director, said one of the suspects yielded an unlicensed pistol.
Corpus identified the arrested suspects as Dominador T. Bancal, 50, who claimed to head the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Games and Amusement Board office in Davao City; Darwin A. Delen, 48; Michael A. Peralta, 46; Pedro J. Pana, 44 and Michael S. Naciongayo, 43. All were residents of Davao City.
After their arrest, Bancal showed to the Magpet police a media identification card identifying him as the station manager of T-Radio FM in Davao City and Peralta as the station’s programming director.
But T-Radio FM released a statement denying that the two arrested suspects were its employees.
Corpus said police from Magpet and the PNP Regional Intelligence Division Tracker arrested the five men during an entrapment operation near the cockpit at the village of Gubatan past 10 a.m. last Sunday.
The arrest came after the cockpit manager, Rolly Sadio, complained to police that the five suspects had been mulcting him P25,000.
Sadio said he was afraid that GAB would shut down his arena, so, he agreed to shell out P25,000. But he was already coordinating with the local police for the entrapment operation.
Maj. Judgie Barotas, Magpet town police chief, said the suspects did not resist arrest when authorities handcuffed them and brought them to the police station.
Also seized was a caliber 40 pistol with 12 bullets.
The five are now detained at the Magpet police jail awaiting charges of robbery, extortion and usurpation of authority.