3 Parañaque cops in hot water after student, GF cried extortion

A police precinct commander and two other officers in Parañaque City
were relieved of their posts on allegations that they extorted money
from a college student and his girlfriend.

The relief order came from the National Capital Region Police Office
(NCRPO), as it acted on the complaint against Insp. Mahlail Anthony
Carpizo and his subordinates, PO1 Jason Tiamson and PO1 Gerson
Maranan, at the Sun Valley police community precinct.

The investigator on the case, SPO2 Dennis Frivaldo, said the
21-year-old student had executed an affidavit saying the three
officers forced him to cough up P50,000 in cash to avoid being booked
for “public scandal”.

Frivaldo asked that the names of the student and his girlfriend be
withheld in this report for their security.

In his affidavit dated March 16, the student said he and his
girlfriend were travelling in his Honda Civic around 1:30 a.m. of
March 5 when they had a heated argument that forced him to pull over
along West Service Road, Barangay Sun Valley.

Carpizo, Tiamson and Maranan then arrived in their patrol car and
accosted the two youths for supposedly having sex inside the vehicle.

Quoting the complainant, Frivaldo said Tiamson threatened to arrest
the couple for public scandal but offered to let them go for P60,000.
The officers allegedly agreed later to lower the amount to P50,000.

Carpizo and Maranan stayed with the girlfriend in the Honda Civic,
while the student rode with Tiamson in the patrol car to look for an
ATM.

The student withdrew P50,000 from two BDO machines on Doña Soledad
Avenue, Barangay Don Bosco. Receipts attached to the affidavit showed
that he made five withdrawals of P10,000 each that morning.

On orders from NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde, Carpizo and
Maranan were disarmed on Thursday and transferred to a holding unit in
Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending an investigation.

Tiamson has yet to report for duty since Wednesday, Albayalde told the Inquirer.

The incident prompted Albayalde to order the rest of the Sun Valley
precinct personnel — numbering about 40 officers — to undergo
“refresher courses” on proper police conduct.

“We are not accusing them (of anything). This is just to prevent them
from making the same mistakes committed by their peers,” the NCRPO
chief said.