Charges filed vs Calabarzon policemen

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines  – Calabarzon police director Chief Superintendent Gil Meneses yesterday ordered the filing of administrative charges against four Calabarzon policemen involved in extortion incidents in Laguna and Batangas.

Meneses instructed the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division to conduct summary dismissal proceedings against PO2 Jonathan Ricamonte, 36, of the Los Baños police force; PO2 Albert Mamalayan, 29, of the Luisiana police; and PO2 Lito Maranan and PO1 Bonapart Convento, of the Batangas police command.

Meneses denounced the acts of the four policemen and stressed that PNP- Calabarzon would not condone criminal offenses committed by men in uniform.

Meneses said that Ricamonte, Mamalayan and Maranan were arrested by elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 4-A in separate operations in Calamba City, Laguna and Batangas last Monday, while Convento is currently under the custody of the Bauan police station.

Ricamonte and Mamalayan, along with two civilian assets – Marco Moncayo, 34, and Rennel Palinlagui, 40 – were accused of kidnapping a son of a businesswoman in Biñan, Laguna.

Meneses said Gloria Montano alleged that her son, Rolando was held captive by the policemen who demanded P15,000 in exchange for his release.

Meantime, the arrest of Maranan stemmed from the complaint of Jeannete Hernandez, 39, a wife of a drug suspect named Jessy.

Meneses said Maranan and Convento appeared at Hernandez‘s house in Barangay Aplaya in Batangas sometime last April to serve an arrest warrant against Jessy but the two policemen later demanded P50,000 in exchange for the non-arrest of the suspect.