Drug suspect’s kin link 7 Navotas cops to P100K extortion

Seven Navotas police officers turned themselves in on Saturday after they were accused of extorting P100,000 from the family of a drug suspect who was in their custody.

Senior Supt. Jose Chiquito Malayo, head of the Philippine National Police Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF), said the lawmen surrendered to the Navotas police chief, Senior Supt. Allen Ocden.

“They were later turned over to the CITF for proper disposition and filing of appropriate cases,” Malayo told reporters.

He identified the seven Navotas policemen as Police Officers 1 Emmanuel Benedict G. Alojacin, Mark Ryan B. Mones, Christian Paul R. Bondoc and Jack Rennert N. Etcubanas; Police Officers 2 Jonnel V. Barocaboc and Jessrald Z. Pacinio; and PO3 Kenneth B. Loria.

They allegedly arrested Mark Echeparee and another suspect around 10 a.m. on Aug. 11 in Barangay Longos, Malabon City, for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

The policemen then called up Echeparee’s parents and demanded P100,000 in cash or else he would be killed.

At 3 p.m. that same day, Echeparee’s mother filed a complaint with the CITF, prompting the task force to plan an entrapment operation, Malayo said.

One of the policemen directed Echeparee’s parents to give him the money at MC Mall in Malabon. But he changed his mind and said a transaction would be done at the Petron gas station on C-3 Road in Caloocan City.

However, the entrapment operation did not proceed after the policemen learned that the CITF was on to them, Malayo said.

The CITF decided to coordinate with the Northern Police District director, Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, leading to the identification of the seven policemen.

At 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 12, the lawmen surrendered to Ocden while Echeparee was returned to his family, Malayo said.

Last week, the Quezon City Police District director, Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, relieved four of his men for a similar offense.

Sacked were the Fairview police station head, Supt. Bobby Glenn Ganipac; the station’s drug enforcement unit chief, Insp. Severino Busa; and three of his men—SPO3 Mario Samoy, PO3 Hebry Tingle and PO1 Marlon Fajardo.

This was after Ganipac’s driver, Joseph Ruallo, was arrested by the CITF in an entrapment operation for allegedly extorting P15,000 from the parents of a drug suspect detained at the Fairview police station.

During questioning, Ruallo claimed that he was just following the instructions of Samoy, Tingle and Fajardo.

Criminal charges have been filed against Ruallo and the three policemen, who also face administrative cases.