(Eagle News) – Three Quezon City policemen accused of robbery with extortion were ordered relieved and would soon be transferred to the Police Regional Office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Quezon City police director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said the policemen to be transferred to Mindanao are PO3 Aprilito Santos, 41 y/o, with badge112699, PO3 Ramil Dazo, 42 y/o, with badge 144269 and PO3 Joseph Merin, 47 y/o, with badge 111437. All were previously assigned at the Warrant and Subpoena Section of the QCPD’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU).
PCSupt Eleazar said, no less than President Rodrigo Duterte ordered reassignment of the three “Kotong Cops” to ARMM, pending investigation of their cases in Quezon City.
The relief and reassignment of the suspects to PRO-ARMM came following the issuance of S.O. No. 457 from DPRM, PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame dated January 24, 2017.
The robbery extortion case of the policemen stemmed from a complaint filed by mother and son Illuminada and Raymond Leetiong who claimed to have been extorted of Php120,000 at their residence in Barangay Talipapa, last January 19, 2017. This was in exchange for the release of Raymond who had two Warrants of Arrest for Qualified Theft in relation to Sec. 6 and 21 of RA 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 , and Violation of Sec. 4 (a) (3) also of R.A. 10175 issued by Hon. Myra B Quiambao, presiding judge RTC branch 203, Muntinlupa City.
Aside from criminal charges, the District Internal Affairs Service (IAS) is also conducting administrative case investigation against the suspects.
“This is part of the continuous internal cleansing of QCPD. Patuloy po ang ating ginagawang pagbabago hindi lamang sa kalidad ng serbisyo para sa mga tao kundi maging sa pagdidisiplina sa ating kapulisan na lumilihis sa tamang landas,” said PCSupt Eleazar.
He said that the extortion incident and the arrest of the suspects “should serve as a lesson for those involved in illegal activities and also a stern warning for others not to do the same.”
He also appealed to the public to support the internal cleansing process of the QCPD by reporting criminal activities of the police.
He also appreciated the courage of the complainants to report the incident and their cooperation in the investigation which resulted in the filing of cases against the suspects. (contributed by Paula Antolin)
