'HULIDAPPERS'-- HOW THEY DO IT

ABDUCTION cases are down, but this positive development has not cheered up
members of the Filipino-Chinese community, who still live in fear not of
kidnap syndicates, but of "hulidap" policemen.

Teresita Ang-See, head of the Citizens Action Against Crime, yesterday made
the disclosure as she called on newly-appointed Interior and Local
Government Secretary Angelo T. Reyes to crack down on these rogues in uniform.

Ang-See, in an interview over radio station DzMM, said she has received at
least eight complaints involving "hulidap" operations this month. In these
cases, scalawag policemen arrest and threaten to jail the victims if they
failed to pay their monetary demand.

Ang-See claimed that the victims did not file a complaint against the
suspects for fear of reprisal.

"Kidnappings are really down but another form of kidnapping is virtually
happening right there in the streets and they involve rogue officers,"
Ang-See said.

She praised President Macapagal-Arroyo for her tough stand against
kidnapping-for-ransom gangs which resulted in the arrest of dozens of
wanted kidnappers over the past three years. She also lauded the National
Anti-Kidnapping Task Force headed by Reyes for its success in curbing
kidnappings.

"But I'm asking Secretary Reyes to crack down on these scalawags in
uniform. They are giving a black eye to the government," she said.

The People's Journal earlier reported the abundance of rogue policemen
arresting either innocent civilians or suspected drug personalities and
threatening to file charges against them for violation of Republic Act 9165
or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 if the victims fail to pay
up in the form of cash, transfer of ownership of vehicles or even land
titles to the suspects.

"Yan ang problema diyan. Karaniwan, yung mga tutoong drug pushers ang
nakakalabas agad dahil may pera sila na pambayad pero yung mga inosenteng
tao na walang pera ang nakukulong," Ang-See said.

Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force
commander Deputy Director General Edgar B. Aglipay confirmed that they have
been receiving numerous complaints about "hulidap" cops in Metro Manila.
This prompted him to re-organize all anti-narcotics units in the five
police districts in the National Capital Region Police Office.