3 'EXTORT' COPS ARRESTED

Three Mandaluyong policemen and an errand boy were arrested during an
entrapment operation by operatives of the Philippine National
Police-Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Force (PNP-AID-SOTF) over
complaints that they allegedly attempted to extort P150,000 from two drugs
suspects yesterday afternoon.

The policemen were identified as PO1 Salvador del Mundo, PO1 Jefferson
Gonzales and SPO3 Robert Castalione, all assigned at the Mandaluyong City
police station. The fourth suspect, Dennis Soriano, an errand boy at the
police station, was also nabbed by anti-drug operatives at the station at
around 2:30 p.m.

Four other Mandaluyong cops were also invited for questioning by AID-SOTF
agents to clear their names, said AID-SOTF team leader Superintendent
Arnold Aguilar.

Aguilar and his team swooped down on the police station after they received
complaints from the parents of two arrested drug suspects that the
Mandaluyong cops were asking money in exchange of their freedom and the
non-filing of drug charges.

The AID-SOTF raid on the police station created turmoil among the
anti-drugs operatives and some station officers.

When sought for comment, Eastern Police District director Chief
Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela said he would not interfere in the
investigation of the case, but he appealed to AIDSOTF operatives to conduct
necessary coordination efforts with his officers or immediate station
commanders next time to avoid any mis-encounter.

Initial reports said the three policemen sent Soriano as their "emissary"
to get P20,000 from the mother of one of the drug suspects just outside the
station. The money, already laced with ultraviolet powder, was placed by
Soriano in a plastic bag before he went back to the police station to hand
over the money to Del Mundo, Castalione and Gonzales.

Police pounced on Soriano shortly after he stepped inside the station. He
also pointed to the three policemen as the ones who asked him to fetch the
bribe money from the mother.

In their verbal complaint to AID-SOTF operatives, the drug suspects'
families claimed the local policemen demanded P100,000 and P50,000 from
each of them.