MANILA -- Five Pasay City police officers were relieved from their posts for allegedly urging three victims to go for a settlement instead of filing charges against a Chinese national who molested them inside a theme park.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head, Director Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday ordered the relief of Chief Insp. Remedios Terte, commander of the Pasay City Police Community Precinct 1, Senior Police Officer 3 Timothy Mengote, Senior Police Officer 2 Jonathan Bayot and Police Officer 3 Archie Rodriguez.
Based on initial report, the suspect Zhang Yang, 19, was apprehended by the theme park's security personnel after the three victims complained that he touched their private parts while inside a horror house last February 7.
Yang was charged with acts of lasciviousness.
"A case was filed against the Chinese national. Apparently, the police investigators are allegedly facilitating a settlement between the victims and the suspect and are insinuating that they should get a share from it. Based on my directive to the chief of police, we relieved the four police officers on the particular night. Including the PCP 1 commander," Eleazar told reporters in Camp Crame.
Eleazar said the mother of one of the victims alleged that some PCP 1 officers were acting like lawyers to the Chinese suspect, adding that she felt uncomfortable during the process while at the PCP 1 station.
The NCRPO chief said an investigation is being conducted to determine if the involved police officers had a "share" in the settlement money. (PNA)
