By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday reported the relief of 31 police officers of the Eastern Police District’s (EPD) Special Operations Unit after they allegedly robbed a Chinese businessman of PHP85 million in Las Piñas City on April 2.
NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin said he ordered the relief of the entire EPD unit pending the investigation against eight personnel directly involved in the robbery while serving a bogus warrant of arrest against the businessman.
He said the eight police officers had already been placed under restrictive custody. Aberin also ordered the filing of criminal and administrative charges against all personnel involved, including their superior officers.
“Tayo ay nalulungkot sa ginawa ng mga miyembro ng NCRPO pero we will not tolerate yung mga ganitong aksyon (We are saddened by the actions of the NCRPO members but we will not tolerate such actions),” Aberin said in a media interview.
Based on the initial information, Aberin said the involved EPD cops committed numerous violations, including a lack of coordination with the police station in the area, non-compliance with the use of body-worn cameras, and failure to get clearance from their immediate supervisors.
The victim and the relatives claimed the EPD cops shut down their CCTV, forcibly opened their vaults, and took away the money in pesos, US dollars, and Malaysian ringgits; jewelry; gadgets, and other personal belongings worth PHP85 million.
“Marami silang violations, lumabas po sila sa (They have many violations, they went out of their [area of responsibility] without the proper pre-operations clearance,” Aberin said.
Aberin said the involved police personnel insisted on the regularity of the operation, claiming that the Chinese national tried to bribe them.
“Sa mga members ng NCRPO it’s a clear warning na lahat ng mga involved sa mga illegal activities, on things like this ay hindi natin sasantuhin (To the members of the NCRPO, it’s a clear warning that we will not tolerate anyone involved in illegal activities, on things like this),” he said.
“We will subject you to investigation, we will file criminal charges against you, and we will dismiss you from the police service. NCRPO is no place for police scalawags.” (PNA)
