Cop charged after his gun, ID found on 2 suspects

Charges have been filed against a Manila policeman after his service firearm and Philippine National Police identification card were found on two alleged car thieves in Caloocan City.

Although it had not been established if Police Officer 1 Franklin Menor was involved in car theft, Inspector Jose Romero Hizon, chief of the investigation unit of the Northern Police District’s investigation and detective management unit, said the policeman is facing charges of malversation of public funds.

The charges, which were filed Tuesday by the Caloocan Police at the City’s Prosecutor’s Office, stem from Menor’s failure to explain how his 9 mm. pistol and ID badge, both government property, were found on Gerry Survano and Salvador Frondozo.

A tricycle driver, Houdini Go, told police that the two held him up at gunpoint and took his vehicle and P500 in earnings on Barracks Street, Tala, on November 9.

The pair was arrested by Caloocan police the same day, Hizon said.

“If the PNP issues you a service firearm, you can’t just give it to someone else. It is registered under your name, after all,” the police official said.

Asked if there was a possibility that Menor had been robbed, Hizon said that if this was the case, the policeman should have surfaced earlier and explained the loss.

According to Hizon, records of the Manila Police District showed that Menor last reported for duty on November 13 and has not been seen since then.