8 narco cops face ax for kidnap, extortion

MANILA, Philippines — Eight anti-narcotics operatives of the Muntinlupa City police accused of extorting P400,000 in exchange for the release of a woman and her seven-year-old child they allegedly kidnapped will be dismissed from the police service, an official said yesterday.

“They don’t deserve to be in the police organization a minute longer. Our salaries have been double to keep us away from illegal activities, but these termites are still at it,” Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said.

“Anyway, we have thousands of police recruits who are much willing to replace them,” he added.

Charges of kidnapping for ransom, robbery and extortion were filed against Inspector Mark Kevin Pesigan, Senior Police Officer 1 Edgardo Zervoulakos, Police Officers 3 Charlie Miranda, Romeo Par and Rhoderick Salvador, SPO1 Psyo Joe Jimenez, PO2 Farvy de la Cruz and PO1 JonJon Averion before the Muntinlupa City prosecutor’s office.

Par, Jimenez, De la Cruz and Averion were arrested during a raid on the police headquarters on Friday night.

Pesigan, who heads the Station Drug Enforcement Unit, Zervoulakos, Miranda and Salvador remain at large.

Eleazar vowed to declare them AWOL or absent without leave if they fail to appear at the NCRPO today.

He ordered the NCRPO regional investigation and detective management division to speed up the pre-charge investigation against the eight policemen so they could be dismissed from the service immediately.

Eleazar relieved Senior Superintendent Dionisio Bartolome, chief of the Muntinlupa police, for command responsibility.

The NCRPO chief has yet to name Bartolome’s replacement.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde vowed no mercy against the erring policemen, who allegedly demanded P400,000 from construction foreman Abner Bumatay, 35, in exchange for the release of his partner Glaiza Iglesias, 33, and their child, who were taken during an anti-drug operation in Barangay Tunasan on Thursday.

The police officers allegedly took some of the victims’ belongings, including jewelry, a television set, mobile phones, a laptop and cash.

Bumatay said the policemen agreed to reduce the amount to P40,000.