CIDG Director Samuel D. Pagdilao Jr. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines—The Quezon City Police District (QCPD), and the Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) have both expressed their intention to file charges against each other following a dispute on the recent arrest of two women convicted for issuing bouncing checks.
QCPD said that it is set to file charges of obstruction of justice, grave threats, and physical injuries against 15 CIDG operatives who allegedly prevented them from arresting Marilyn Ong and Edna Alfuerto, both convicted by a Manila court for issuing bad checks.
In retaliation, the CIGD will pursue an investigation on a possible kidnap-for-ransom case against the armed men who allegedly introduced themselves as members of the Interpol under the CIDG when they took Ong “against her will” on the night of May 18, according to Senior Superintendent Joel Coronel.
The ‘kidnap’ and standoff
Coronel said that around 6 p.m. of the same day, Alfuerto and lawyer Marilen Espina came to his office in Camp Crame, reporting that Ong, their business associate, along with two others, were “abducted” at gunpoint along Muntinlupa City by armed men on board a maroon Mitsubishi Adventure. The men allegedly introduced themselves as members of the Interpol under the CIDG.
Ong then allegedly contacted Alfuerto saying that her captors were asking for P10 million in exchange of her liberty.
This prompted Coronel to check with the Southern Police District and Muntinlupa police station if there was police operation conducted in the area. SPD reported “there was none,” he said.
“So at that time, we suspected that this was a possible case of kidnap-for-ransom and abduction,” he said.
Coronel immediately organized two CIDG teams to initiate a meet up with Ong’s captors in Uncle Moose Coffee Shop located at the corner of Maginhawa Street, corner Malingap Street, Teacher’s Village, Brgy. Sikatuna, Quezon City.
“I need to stress that this operation . . . [was with] proper coordination with the Quezon City Police Tactical Operation Center as part of our SOP [standard operating procedure],” he said.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, he said “we later found out that they were members of the QCPD, particularly with the CIDU.”
They accosted and disarmed the “heavily armed, civilian-wearing” men, he said.
But while they were conducting a follow-up investigation, several mobile patrol cars carrying roughly 70 QCPD officers arrived at the scene and then surrounded the CIDG teams and subsequently disarmed them at gunpoint, arresting Ong and Alfuerto, who originally came with them, informing them of their standing arrest warrants from a court in Manila
“We did not know. All we know was that Ong was forcibly taken,” he said, adding that there was a standoff.
Ong was the subject of a criminal case in the United States involving an $80 million-scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank.
Ong and Alfuerto are also facing charges from the Belgian Embassy over the questionable lease of a property owned by the Kingdom of Belgium.
Let higher-ups dig standoff incident
CIDG chief, Police Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., said his group has asked the higher headquarters in the Philippine National Police to dig deeper into this incident that involved his men and QCPD officers.
Coronel said that he was surprised with the latest development saying that his men is set to be slapped with charges, “given the fact that no investigation have been conducted.”
He said several lapses were committed by the QCPD officers during that day, such as taking Ong to a coffee shop, and not to the nearest police station.
Also, police operatives did not coordinate the arrest with other policemen in the area.