Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome Jr. Monday denied rumors about a rift between him and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. amid controversies hounding the national police’s foremost investigating arm.
“How can we be fighting? The CIDG is still under me,” Bartolome told reporters in Camp Crame.
He said the CIDG, being one of the PNP national support units, reports to him.
“So it’s not true there is a rift between us. The CIDG is part of the PNP so I do not know where these reports come from. They are not true,” Bartolome went on.
He said the recent near-shootout between the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) and the CIDG-National Capital Region over the arrest of two women convicted for estafa was a “miscommunication on the ground” that did not involve him and Pagdilao.
Bartolome admitted that he had yet to talk to Pagdilao since the dispute broke out as he returned from a trip abroad only recently.
He added that the National Police Commission (Napolcom) would be in charge of investigating the matter to determine which of the two police units was at fault.
“This is an independent body… It’s better that the investigation is done outside of the PNP,” Bartolome said.
Pagdilao is Bartolome’s upperclass in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). Pagdilao belongs to PMA Class ’79 while Bartolome belongs to Class ’80.
However, Bartolome edged out Pagdilao for the top PNP post last September.
When asked if he was considering replacing Pagdilao, Bartolome replied: “It’s not that easy to reassign a commander since we have procedures to follow.”
“For now we will concentrate on the investigation to find out who was at fault. The truth will come out,” he said.
Last week, CIDG-NCR and QCPD operatives traded accusations after they had a near shoot-out over the arrest on May 18 of Marilyn Ong and Edna Alfuerto.
The two women had outstanding arrest warrants after a court found them guilty of estafa.
The Quezon City police claimed the CIDG intervened in the women’s arrest. The CIDG, however, claimed QCPD members tried to extort P20 million from the women.
This led the QCPD to file charges against 17 members of the CIDG-NCR last Friday.
Charged before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office with obstruction of arrest and robbery over an unreturned firearm were Chief Insp. Reynaldo Magdaluyo, Senior Insp. Rommel Macatlang, Senior Police Officers 2 Reginaldo Nicolas and Fernando Esguerra, Police Officers 2 Ringo Medalla, Maximo Seda and Shiela Famuleras and 10 other policemen.
In particular, Magdaluyo was accused of taking the gun of QCPD operative PO1 Ernesto Barbajera and two other policemen.
The two policemen got their guns back but Barbajera did not, the complaint alleged.
The complaint also claimed that Macatlang and the other CIDG men handcuffed some of the QCPD policemen and threw them inside a van like pigs.
When a policeman protested and introduced himself,
Magdaluyo allegedly told him, “You can explain at the CIDG office in Camp Crame,” it added.