On Target: Sheer abuse of power

“Filipino cops are among the most abusive in the world.”

That statement came from my American friend, Dennis, many years ago when I was still a crime reporter covering the Western (now Manila) Police District.

I didn’t disagree with him because he was speaking the truth.

That was then.  Policemen have now become even more abusive.

An ordinary policeman’s mindset is that he is superior to ordinary citizens, especially the poor.  Therefore, he is free to abuse them.

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The two stories I’m about to tell you are glaring examples of how people who are sworn to serve and protect the citizenry abuse their power.

Four cops from the Manila police’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group noticed that Albert Cabrito was earning big money from  a lending business,  a  lugawan (porridge) and mami or noodle soup cafeteria, a computer shop, and  buying and selling broken jewelry.

Cabrito claimed SPO1 Brigido Cardino, SPO1 Rosendo Ascano, PO3 Charito Castrence and PO2 Richard Nieva demanded protection money from him.  The businessman, however, refused, saying he was not doing anything illegal.

(I checked with Cabrito’s barangay captain in Quiapo, Arnold Almario, who vouched for his character). The policemen then arrested him on a trumped-up charge of drug pushing.

They asked for P40,000 for his release, but Cabrito refused to budge.  His mother, Remedios, however, came up with the money.

Last year, the four cops came back and this time, demanded P500,000 from Cabrito.

When he refused for the second time, they charged him with drug pushing, a nonbailable offense.

Cabrito stayed in jail for eight months in 2014 while he was being tried for that serious charge.

Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Maria Bernardita Santos acquitted him and ordered his release from detention.

Cabrito got back at the four policemen afterward by filing criminal and administrative cases against them.

The four cops, who have since been transferred to other assignments, threatened to kill him if he didn’t drop the cases against them.

As a result of the threats against her son, Remedios suffered a heart attack and died.

I came to learn about Cabrito’s plight because he sought the help of my program, “Isumbong Mo kay Tulfo.”

Luckily for him, Director General Ricardo Marquez, Philippine National Police chief, to whom I referred his complaint, has ordered an investigation of the four cops and assigned a security detail for him.

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The other story is about two Parañaque policemen who barged into the house of Helenmie Abueva, a department store sales clerk, and arrested her for drug pushing.

Helenmie’s mother, Helen, told me that SPO1 Percival Espano and PO3 Sherwin Somera had mistaken her daughter for a notorious drug pusher nicknamed Inday.

Inday also happens to be Helenmie’s nickname.

The cops claimed they arrested  Helenmie in a buy-bust operation outside her home.

But her neighbors say she was dragged out of her house by the two cops who didn’t even have a search warrant.

The policemen  also  did not coordinate with the barangay captain in the area, which is the standard operating procedure when making an arrest.

Barangay captain Eusebio Haplos told me that Helenmie, who is gainfully employed, has no record of being involved in drugs.

He said he would testify in favor of Helenmie, who is now in jail on the nonbailable charge of drug pushing.