KIDNAP CHARGES FILED VS WPD DRUGBUSTERS

Two special units of the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed kidnapping
charges against the entire anti-illegal drugs team of Western Police
District-Station 8, including the station commander, in connection with the
P1.7-million kidnap-extortion of a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

Investigators from the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) team
and the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) filed
the kidnapping charges at the Department of Justice against seven WPD
officers and five John Does.

Included in the charge sheet were Superintendent Efren Perez, Senior
Inspector Wilfredo Abordo and PO1 Sieroma Prudente. Also named were SPO1
Mendoza, PO1 Cereno, PO1 Magpayo, and PO1 Baltazar.

Abordo and Prudente were arrested at Camp Crame yesterday. Perez was
relieved from post for command responsibility by PNP chief Director General
Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

Except for the station commander, the officers were members of the WPD
station's newly-formed anti-drug unit.

In a report submitted by investigators to AID-SOTF commander Deputy
Director General Edgar Aglipay, all seven police officers were held liable
in the kidnapping of Filipino-Chinese trader Benito Chua in Las Pinas last
Sunday.

Chua was freed by Abordo's group after payment of P1.7 million in ransom
the same day.

Abordo and Prudente had been tagged in other illegal police operations in
Las Pinas, including the arrest of one Amado Manansala in a bid to get
Chua, whose brother they claimed was involved in illegal drug activities.

The suspects then arrested another individual, whom they mistook for Chua.
They eventually tracked down and abducted Chua who was driving his blue
Toyota Revo in Las Pinas.

Negotiations for Chua's release started at P50 million, which was later
reduced to P2 million in negotiations with the trader's wife. Chua was
released on Sunday afternoon after his wife paid P1.7 million. He sought
assistance from the PNP after his release.

The suspects later contacted the victim anew, asking him to turn over the
certificate of registration of the Toyota Revo, which they took as part of
the ransom.

Combined operatives of PACER and AID-SOTF traced the call to Abordo and
Prudente, who were attending a conference at the AID-SOTF compound inside
Camp Crame last Wednesday.

Unknown to the suspects, a team of officers asked Chua to identify his
stolen vehicle at the AID-SOTF compound located just across the Police
Community Relations Group (PCRG) building inside the camp while the
anti-drug conference was ongoing.

Policemen arrested Prudente and Abordo when they boarded the vehicle after
the conference. Both admitted involvement in the arrest of Chua, whom they
said was released for lack of evidence.

The successful operations came a week after Aglipay renewed the crackdown
against police scalawags particularly those involved in railroading drug
case operations. NPD Chief Pushes For Zero Extort Northern Police District
Office (NPDO) director Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr. yesterday
declared that his office was dead set on attaining zero incidence of
frameups, extortion activities and the infamous planting of evidence by
anti-drug operatives in the Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela (Camanava)
area.

"Some misguided elements in the police force have become somewhat creative,
exploiting certain weaknesses in the system. We want this extortion racket
stopped once and for all," Franco said.

Franco's resolve came in the wake of increasing incidents of police drug
officers charged with extortion by persons they have arrested and mulcted
in exchange for their freedom. The modus operandi has come to be known as
"pagbabangketa," that is, releasing arrested drug suspects, whether guilty
or not, by apprehending officers "as soon as they come across," sources said.

Concrete measures have been made in this direction, Franco revealed adding
that this move is in response to the initiative of the National Capital
Region Police Office (NCRPO). Together, they have mapped out a common
strategy to unmask and arrest members of local anti-drug units.

This, Franco said, has the full backing of Deputy Director General Edgar
Aglipay.

"We have so far identified those we authorized to conduct anti-drug
operations. We will be monitoring cases already filed and a
counter-intelligence will be in motion to check their activities," Franco
told The STAR. He said that the operatives will be given enough training
and guidance as their task is difficult as temptations abound. He also said
that a close supervision by team leaders and chiefs of police, barangay
officials and other civic groups are encouraged to help in the monitoring
of the cases in court so that their men are not unjustly charged or accused
of fixing drug cases.

Records showed at least 36 "kotong" cops have been arrested since February
this year, the latest among which involved four Chinese nationals allegedly
milked of some P3 million. -- with Jerry Botial