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Raps filed vs 5 Bulacan cops

FIVE Bulacan policemen this week were charged with robbery, carnapping and violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act and code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials and employees before the Department of Justice by the Philippine National Police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG), a report to PNP chief, General Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan said yesterday.

Charged were Staff Sergeant Jonathan dela Cruz, Marlon Mito and Patrick Nagal and Patrolmen Nikkol Santos and Joe Lino Lisondra, all members of the Norzagaray Municipal Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit and intelligence branch, said PNP-IMEG director, Brigadier Gen. Ronald O. Lee.

Except for SSgt. Dela Cruz who is now being held at the PNP-IMEG lock-up facility in Camp Crame, all other accused remained at-large.

Lee said that the dela Cruz was inquested before DOJ Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon in the presence of a complainant and witnesses. Dela Cruz was assisted by his lawyer during the inquest proceeding on Thursday morning.

Following some clarificatory questions, the DOJ prosecutor submitted the complaints for resolution.

Gen. Cascolan ordered the conduct of administrative proceedings against the accused in line with his order for a stepped-up conduct of the PNP internal cleansing program.

Last Wednesday afternoon, PNP-IMEG agents arrested SSgt. Dela Cruz, the chief of the locap police intelligence division in an entrapment operation inside the Norzagaray MPS. The sting was conducted after the policeman was accused of keeping a motorcycle seized in a recent anti-narcotics operation and demanding money for its release to its registered owner, Lee said.

“The ongoing crackdown on rogues in uniform will spare nobody, police commissioned officers or non-commissioned officers and other public servants included,” Lee assured the public as he announced the arrest of the Bulacan policeman right inside the Norzagaray police station around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The official said that members of the IMEG Luzon Field Unit, with the assistance of agents from the Counter-Intelligence Division of the PNP Intelligence Group, the Police Regional Office 3 Regional Intelligence Division and the Bulacan Police Provincial Office’s Provincial Intelligence Branch arrested the accused during the entrapment operation.

The operation was conducted by the PNP-IMEG with the full support of the Bulacan PPO headed by Colonel Lawrence B. Cajipe and the PRO3 headed by Brig. Gen. Rhodel O. Sermonia.
The suspect did not resist when surrounded by PNP-IMEG and members of the 82nd Special Action Company of the PNP Special Action Force.

According to Lee, they discovered that the motorcycle being used by the accused was among the pieces of evidence recovered during an anti-narcotics operation conducted by the Norzagaray police last August 26.

However, the motorbike was not included in the inventory of items seized during the operation. “We discovered that the suspect took custody of the motorbike which was seized without any proper receipt and demanded P10,000 for its release, he said.

Lee said that the sting was conducted amid a complaint from Mrs. Donna Llamas, the mother of Kristin Llamas Guerina who was arrested during the August 26 anti-drug operation and is presently detained at the Norzagaray police lock-up facility.

It turned out that SSgt. Dela Cruz contacted Llamas and demanded P10,000 for the release of a Yamaha Mio motorcycle, colored magenta without plate number which was seized during the August 26 operation.

The PNP-IMEG found out that the motorbike was not included in the official inventory of recovered evidence and was instead used as a personal vehicle by the accused.

Recovered from the possession of the suspect were the boodle money topped by two marked P500 bills, a mobile phone and the motorcycle.

The accused was immediately brought to the PNP-IMEG headquarters in Camp Crame for booking and documentation shortly after his arrest.

Following the arrest of the Bulacan policeman, Lee called on the public anew to report the presence of the PNP personnel involved in any irregularities to the PNP IMEG Hotlines: SMART- 09989702286 or GLOBE-09957952569.

Information may also be forwarded to Facebook Page: Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group and Twitter account: @imeg2017, he said while assuring that the identities of the complainants will be kept in utmost secrecy.

“We are assuring the public that there is no let-up in our campaign against misfits and scalawags in the force as ordered by Gen. Cascolan. Everyone should know what to do and do it right,” Brig. Gen. Lee said.