Batangas police official nabbed for extortion

MANILA, Philippines — The deputy police chief of Balayan, Batangas was arrested on Thursday for allegedly demanding protection money from an operator of loteng, an illegal numbers game.

Capt. Ruben Marilag was apprehended in an entrapment by operatives of the police Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group in front of a bank near the municipal police station in Barangay 1 at around 4:47 p.m., according to IMEG Director Brig. Gen. Warren de Leon.

Marilag reportedly asked the victim for P2,000 in weekly payola or protection money.

The victim said Marilag continued to ask for money even after he stopped operating loteng in March 2021 after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Marilag is being held at the IMEG headquarters at Camp Crame for robbery-extortion.

“We are determined to remove misfits as they don’t have a place in the organization,” De Leon said.