The 10 policemen who allegedly carted away P379,700 and valuables after a supposed raid of an area that was holding a reported illegal cockfighting in Bacolor town, Pampanga last March 19. (Photo courtesy of Police Regional Office 3)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Ten cockfighting aficionados filed a complaint for robbery against 10 policemen who allegedly carted away P379,700 and valuables after a supposed raid in Bacolor town, Pampanga on March 19.
The criminal complaint was filed at the provincial prosecutor’s office on Thursday (March 24) afternoon, a police source familiar with the matter confirmed to the INQUIRER.
The Pampanga provincial police also filed an administrative case against the cops, who are ages 25 to 37 and are mostly corporals assigned to the police’s Provincial Intelligence Unit. One was a suspect in the death of a minor in Bacolor last year.
In a statement, Police Brig. Gen Matthew Baccay, director of Police Regional Office 3, said he ordered their “immediate relief and removal from post.”
Their firearms have been recalled following their detention at the provincial camp.
“In the course of the operation, the operatives made an inventory of bet money, which would have been part of the pieces of evidence. During the process, a certain Alberto Gopez, the owner of the compound and one of the accosted among the complainants, pleaded with the operatives not to pursue the formal complaint against them. The operatives released the complainants and left the place of the incident without returning the bet money,” Baccay’s statement read in part.
He said Gov. Dennis Pineda and Bacolor Mayor Diman Datu requested the investigation.
“It was wrong that a tupada (illegal cockfighting) was planned and it was even more wrong to get money and valuables from the residents,” the governor said in a text message. “I cannot allow scalawags in uniform to work in our province,” Pineda added.
The supposed operations for the raid were not coordinated with the Bacolor police.
“We did not fall short in our warnings and memo directives reminding all PNP personnel to never engage in illegal activities. This will serve as a stern warning to all PNP personnel and we will continue to weed out hoodlums and punish the undisciplined among our ranks,” Baccay said in the statement.
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