Two Quezon City policemen busted by Chief Supt. Theodore Reuben Sindac, the spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP), for extortion on Tuesday night have been relieved of their posts.
Their cohort, PO1 Christopher Lucky dela Peña, on the other hand, remains at-large after he went Awol (absent without official leave) following the incident.
Police Officers 1 Ronaldo Englis, 39, and Roland Mansibang, 28, of the Galas police station were arrested after they tried to extort P20,000 from Rodolfo Santiago who turned out to be a classmate of Sindac’s son.
Santiago said that he and his girlfriend were seated in his car in New Manila on Tuesday night when they were charged by the two policemen with public scandal. In exchange for letting them off, Mansibang asked for P20,000.
Santiago, however, called up Sindac who went to the area to confront the policemen. Although Mansibang, Englis and Dela Peña were already gone by the time the PNP spokesperson arrived at the scene, the first two were arrested in a follow-up operation at the Galas police station.
Mansibang and Englis were just about to leave the station on the latter’s motorcycle when they were apprehended. A search of Englis’ motorcycle led to the seizure of marijuana.
In an interview, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Supt. Richard Albano said that he had ordered the relief of the two policemen who are now under restrictive custody at the QCPD administrative holding unit.
As for Dela Peña, Albano said that he had ordered Galas police station commander Supt. Victor Pagulayan to find him.
“We want this to serve as a warning to corrupt policemen that illegal activities like this will not go unpunished,” Albano added.
According to the QCPD director, a check into the three policemen’s background revealed that Englis had been involved in drugs and robbery cases in the past.
“We do not condone the abuses of a few corrupt policemen,” he stressed.
Case investigator PO2 Jogene Hernandez said that Mansibang and Englis underwent inquest proceedings on Wednesday night.
Assistant City Prosecutor Nilda Ordono indicted Mansibang for attempted robbery, but the marijuana possession case against Englis as well as the robbery case against him and Dela Peña were set for further investigation.
Ordono noted that Mansibang was identified as the one who demanded P20,000 from the couple although Sindac’s appearance stopped money from changing hands.
Meanwhile, the drug case against Englis was set for preliminary investigation since the marijuana found in his motorcycle was not recovered “in plain view.”
Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said that administrative cases against Englis and Mansibang were now being prepared by the QCPD precharge unit.
According to Albano, the two would be charged with grave misconduct and abuse of authority cases, offenses punishable by dismissal from the service. Julie M. Aurelio