Manila vendors rally vs ‘kotong’ cops

A group of vendors staged a rally Wednesday morning in front of the Manila Police District headquarters to complain about extortion activities allegedly involving members of the MPD’s Ermita station.

The so-called “kotong” policemen had been forcing them to cough up P100 to P200 daily, according to the protesters organized by the urban poor group Kadamay Manila and United Vendors Alliance.

“If we don’t give them money, they get angry. They would kick us out and demolish our stalls,” said Jake, one of the 30  vendors in the rally.

Jean Alvarez, 50, said the last demolition happened on March 9 after the vendors couldn’t pay up.

They identified the officers allegedly involved in the racket as SPO2 Marvin Velasquez, SPO2 Romel Santos Alfaro, PO3 John Gaviola David, PO3 Leo De Jos and PO2 Romeo Rosini Jr.

After deploying antiriot teams to contain the protest, the MPD director, Chief Supt. Joel Coronel, later faced the vendors and invited them to a dialogue inside the headquarters on UN Avenue.

After an hourlong meeting, Coronel said  he would be relieving the cited officers of their posts “because of the seriousness of the allegations.”

He also ordered them to answer the vendors’ complaint within 24 hours. —AIE BALAGTAS SEE