Three cops arrested for alleged extortion
Personnel from the Philippine National Police – Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group arrest three officers at the Paco Police Community Precinct in Manila on Monday, August 15, 2022.
MANILA, Philippines — Three police officers have been arrested in Manila for alleged extortion, said the Philippine National Police (PNP).
In a report, the PNP said its Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) nabbed Police Staff Sergeant Erwin Licuasen, Police Corporal Chimber Rey Importa, and Pat Leopoldo Tuason during an entrapment operation inside the Paco Police Community Precinct on Monday.
The operation stemmed from a complaint by Frederick Alba, who told the PNP-IMEG that his tricycle was impounded after the three policemen apprehended his driver for counterflowing and driving without a license.
“The said personnel were arrested after receiving marked money amounting to P2,000 from the complainant in exchange for the release of an impounded tricycle that was earlier apprehended for a traffic violation,” the PNP further detailed.
Licuasen, Importa, and Tuason, who have been relieved from their posts, were brought to the PNP-IMEG headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City for the investigation led by the PNP Internal Services Affairs (IAS).
“As a matter of standard procedure, I am directing our IAS to probe the alleged extortion involving our personnel,” PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said in a separate statement.
He then warned: “We don’t tolerate rogue cops in our organization, so we will let them answer the allegation.”
Azurin earlier lamented the public’s lack of trust in the police force, an area of concern that he aims to address under his watch as the PNP chief.
