Solons ask: Is there a syndicate of rogue cops?

SOCIAL MEDIA TRUMP ROGUE COPS This photo of armed men brandishing weapons as they stop a sport utility vehicle right on Edsa in broad daylight went viral on social media—and produced results. TWITTER PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Is there a syndicate of policemen responsible for the recent spate of criminal activities?

The question surfaced Wednesday at the House of Representatives, which is investigating the robbery-abduction last week at the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) involving 10 policemen.

“The way it was done in broad daylight, on one of the busiest streets… it really makes you think that this is not a one-time thing. I would like to ask whether you’ve considered the possibility that this was done by a very well-coordinated group that we could call a syndicate,” Cebu Representative Gwendolyn Garcia asked Chief Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta, Eastern Police District chief, during a hearing of the House public order and safety committee.

Villacorta said the Edsa robbery may have been orchestrated by a syndicate but that they were still investigating the incident.

He said, however, that what their investigation found out was that the policemen in the Edsa robbery have been involved in previous robbery-kidnappings or “hulidaps” in Filipino, including one abduction where P12 million was taken from the victim.

“We already received some information that one was involved in kidnapping with the amount of P12 million from the victim…,” Villacorta said.

Villacorta also said that based on records, there were illegal anti-drug operations, which actually turned out to be “hulidaps’”.

“It just happened that we haven’t been receiving any complaints in the past that these people were involved in such illegal activities,” he said.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said the Philippine National Police should look into the Edsa robbery incident as it posed questions on the integrity of the police.

“We have a false sense of security outside,” he said.

For his part, Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas Jr., the PNP deputy chief for administration, said they were conducting “honest to goodness cleansing” in the organization by requiring psychological and written examinations in the recruitment.

The Edsa robbery-abduction was discovered after a netizen took a photo of the gun-wielding men surrounding a van in broad daylight. After the photo went viral, the victims surfaced and accused police personnel from the La Loma station as being behind the criminal activity.

One of the suspects, Chief Inspector Joseph De Vera, claimed it was an anti-drug operation.

Aside from the incident in Edsa, policemen were also linked to the recent murders of car race driver Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor and Chief Inspector Roderick Medrano.

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