4 Bulacan cops charged for moonlighting as bet’s bodyguards

CAMP GEN. ALEJO SANTOS, Bulacan—Four Bulacan policemen were arrested and relieved from duty for moonlighting as bodyguards of a candidate in Donya Remedios Trinidad (DRT) town.

Detained police officers SPO4 Gerald Ruiz, P03 Arnais Aguilar, P02 Emmanuel Carlos and P01 John Merle of the Provincial Holding Administration Unit (PHAU) also face charges for violating the Omnibus Election Code, said Senior Insp. Lynelle Solomon, information officer of the Bulacan police office during a Saturday (May 7) news conference.

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The arrested cops surrendered to DRT police officers who responded to a Friday morning (May 6) alert from Mayor Ricardo Flores about armed men roaming in Barangay (village) Kalawakan.

The DRT team encountered Ruiz and the three policemen with Vice Mayor Hilario Cruz, a reelectionist. They identified themselves to Senior Insp. Isagani Santos, DRT chief of police, when he approached the vice mayor’s group. The arrested policemen were not in uniform.

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Three M-16 rifles and two caliber .45 pistols were recovered from the group.

Solomon said the Firearms and Explosives Office of the PNP in Camp Crame is tracing the ownership and licenses of these weapons.