MANILA, Philippines — Cases will be filed against Philippine National Police (PNP) officers who allegedly committed irregularities as seen in the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the seizure of P6.7 billion worth of crystal meth or shabu in October last year, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said on Thursday.
Abalos reiterated that the video “speaks for itself” and is a testament to what transpired during the anti-drug operation and the day of Police Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo Jr.’s arrest.
“In ten days malalaman niyo kung ilang pulis and kasama sa fi-file-an natin ng kaso,” Abalos, who is also the chairperson of National Police Commission (Napolcom) said in a media briefing.
(In ten days, you will know how many police officers are included in our filing of the case.)
Abalos said he ordered an investigation after receiving a series of CCTV footage showing the alleged attempt to cover up the irregularities committed by police officers during the operation.
He also formed a task force headed by Napolcom vice chairperson Alberto Bernardo to prevent the dismissal of the case.
During the Senate committee hearing on the case last May 23, Bernardo said they might have seen Capt. Jonathan Sosongco, head of the PNP’s Drug Enforcement Unit-Special Operations Unit 4-A, along with Police Master Sergeant Carlo Bayeta, Patrolmen Hustin Peter Gular, Rommar Bugarin, Hassan Kalaw, and Dennis Carolino in the CCTV footage.
Sosongco, on the other hand, claimed that he was with the five police officers when they arrested Mayo. However, all of them denied Sosongco’s claim.
The CCTV footage, which Abalos revealed to the public last April 10, showed Mayo’s arrest. Instead of leaving immediately handcuffed, Mayo and several police officers entered the nearby establishment multiple times and were seen transferring bags and luggage to various vehicles.
Mayo has been detained at the Metro Manila District Jail since December 2022.