(Photo courtesy of CIDG)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) has recommended the dismissal from the service of the eight police officers accused of robbing seven Chinese nationals and a Filipina in Angeles City, Pampanga last January.
IAS director-general Alfegar Triambulo said he already submitted the recommendation to the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management on April 4 to dismiss the eight cops belonging to Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Anti-Organized Crime Unit (CIDG-AOCU)
The suspects were identified as Maj. Ferdinand Mendoza as their team leader together with Staff Sergeants Mark Anthony Iral and Sanny Ric Alicante; Corporals Richmond Francia, John Gervic Fajardo, and Kenneth Rheiner Ferrer Delfin; and Patrolmen Leonardo Veloso Mangales and Hermogines Rosario Jr., facing a case of robbery in band, extortion, and illegal detention, on top of the administrative charges for grave misconduct.
In a report reaching Camp Crame, the CIDG regional field unit (RFU) 3 conducted an operation after receiving a report around 1 a.m. January 26 about an ongoing robbery in a residential area at Diamond Subdivision in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, perpetrated by a group of armed men in civilian clothes who identified themselves as CIDG personnel.
Upon the arrival of the responding cops in the area, they cornered the suspects who claimed they were conducting a buy-bust operation.
“In the course of the investigation, it was later learned that the suspects held the seven male Chinese nationals and one Filipino house servant inside the said house. It was also observed that all of the things inside the said premise are in disarray. Twelve computers that are set up similar to POGO operation was noticed in the living room,” the RFU report read.
It also said the police team's claim that they are conducting a buy-bust operation of firearms in the said place was later found to be false.
"When their vehicles were checked, assorted belongings of the Chinese were found therein including cash amounting to more or less PHP300,000 and US dollar bills,” it added.
Triambulo said the members of the AOCU could not show any documents that it was a legitimate operation and that the CIDG is not even aware of the operation.
“Their purpose was really robbery because when the operatives of Region 3 responded, cellphones, jewelry and cash were in their van with no inventory, then the victims were there in other places in the house and were shot while the operatives enter to ransack money, jewelry, cell phones, etc. Then their defense is buy-bust allegedly they allegedly transact like selling firearms but they have no paper,” Triambulo told reporters in a phone interview on Thursday.
Earlier, PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said he will make sure that the involved cops will be dismissed, adding any act of illegal activities of any police officers will not be condoned. (PNA)
