8 MPD men charged for ‘hulidap’

MANILA, Philippines—Just weeks after a group of Quezon City policemen were charged with kidnapping two men on Edsa and stealing P2 million in cash, eight Manila policemen wound up in the same situation, this time for extorting money from a Pakistani businessman.

Charged with robbery-extortion and graft and corruption were Senior Insp. Rommel Geneblazo, head of the Manila Police District’s (MPD) Anti-Carnapping (Ancar), and his men Senior Police Officers 1 Gerrardo Rivera, Michael Dingding, Jay Perturbos, Jonathan Moreno, Rodel Maligon and Police Officers 2 Renato Lachinang and Marvin dela Cruz.

MPD General Assignment and Investigation Section head Chief Insp. Artemio Riparip said the case was filed in the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday based on the complaint of Kamran Khan Dawood.

None of the policemen has surfaced after MPD director Chief Supt. Rolando Asuncion ordered their relief and arrest. Chief Insp. Francisco Vargas, chief of the Sampaloc police station, was named officer in charge of the MPD Ancar.

Dawood, a Persian carpet dealer from Pakistan who has been living in the Philippines for 24 years, said that he and his friends were meeting at a hotel in Manila on Friday when they were approached by the policemen who told them that the four cars they were using were in the unit’s list of stolen vehicles. They were told to pay P300,000 if they didn’t want to be charged but after some haggling, the policemen settled for P100,000. Djan Arell G. Magbanua, Nathaniel R. Melican