POLICE EXTORTED P.5M CASH: NANAN

For the first time since his arrest last Sept. 7, drug suspect Giovannie
Nanan Gimenez broke his silence and accused the police of extoring half a
million pesos from him.

In his signed but unsworn statement, Gimenez accused SPO1 Fernando Velarde
and SPO1 Reynaldo Matillano of the Detective Bureau of asking for P1.5
million in exchange for his and his companion's liberty.

Gimenez was arrested with his brother Jovan and driver Victor Ceniza.

His arresting officers also allegedly stole his Nokia 8850 cellular phone
(P31,000), Cartier wallet (P21,000), Cartier ballpen (P17,000), bracelet
(P48,000) and pawnshop receipts amounting to P90,000 and P10,000 cash.

He also accused the police and lawyer Pedro Leslie Salva of forcing his
wife to sign a blank deed of absolute sale for the Starex van on the last
week of September in front of ACA video at the Ayala Center Cebu.

Salva also allegedly escorted him and the police using the lawyer's Pajero
in going to his rented unit at the Sugbo Realty Condominium to get more
money from his wife.

Statement

Gimenez's statement, which radio dySS obtained from him at the Bagong Buhay
Rehabilitation Center (BBRC), narrated that on Sept. 7, at 10:30 a.m., he,
his brother Jovan and driver Ceniza were fixing the electrical system of
his Starex van in front of his rented house in Kasambagan, Cebu City.

He said SPO2 Ronilo Nabua, SPO1 Reynaldo Matillano, PO3 Cyril Valencia, PO1
Stanley Aldemita and SPO1 Fernando Velarde suddenly arrived, pointed their
guns and forcibly opened the door of the van.

The policemen allegedly pulled them outside the van. Then Matillano,
Velarde, Valencia and Aldemita boarded the van and closed the doors.

After three minutes, SPO3 Roy Codinera, the leader of the team, arrived
with two barangay tanods and the policement in the van got down.

Codinera led them to the rear compartment of the van and then tanod
Democrito Arpon shouted "Di-a gyud," holding up a plastic bag. (It's here!)

They were brought to the office of the Detective Bureau at the Cebu City
Police Office.

There at the Detective Bureau, Velarde and Matillano asked me to produce
P1.5 million to settle things before things will be recorded in the blotter
and we will be released," Giminez's statement reads.

He added that if he had that much money, he would have given it immediately
to the police because he wanted to be released as he was scared.

"As I did not have the amount, instinctively, I asked them what settlement?
We did not know what they were accusing us of. They told me they have the
evidence, shabu. It was of course not true that they ever recovered shabu."

Since he wanted to be released, he contacted some people until he was able
to produce P300,000, which he gave to the police around 10 p.m. of Sept.
7. However, he did not say who received the money.

"Perhaps they realized and were convinced that we could not produce the
amount (P1.5 million), so they reduced the amount to P500,000," he said.

"Between Sept. 8 to (sic) 9, I was excorted by Matillano, Velarde and Atty.
Salva, my legal counsel, to my rented unit in Sugbo Realty to check with my
wife if there was money left for the additional amount they were asking. We
were using the Pagero of Atty. Salva as transportation. The logbook of the
secuirty guard detailed at the condominium can attest to our presence on
these dates."

On Sept. 10, they were presented by Supt. Hiram Benatiro to the media and
were instructed not to contradict the police.

Surprise

During the presentation, Codinera presented P100,000 to the media as the
money Gimenez used to bribe them.

Gimenez said he was surprised to be called a member of the Hong Kong Triad,
saying this was only fabricated by the police as Codinera likes "to appear
big and great."

"Yet again, after the press conference, I gave Matillano and Velarde
P200,000 to complete the P500,000 bargain from the P1.5 million they
originally asked me," he said.

He said the case was filed against them but the police assured they would
help them post bail.

"They produced a certain Boy Kiamco who would fix the bail bond. The police
asked for P100,000, saying that a certain Roy Codinera would be the person
responsible for the disposition of the said amount,"

After the case was filed, he was again allowed to go home around 11 p.m. to
get more money from his wife. With Salva, in the lawyer's Pajero, were
Codinera, Matillano, Nabua and Valencia.

"On or about last week of September, Nabua, Trinidad and together with
Atty. Salva and some others who were lookouts, I met my wife in Ayala in
front of ACA Video and asked her to sign a blank deed of absolute safe for
the Starex van."

Denial

But in an interview with radio dySS, Codinera denied all the accusations,
saying Gimenez is on a demolition and disinformation campaing against the
policemen.

"It's a desperate move to attack the credibility of the police because
their case is getting stronger every hearing. He is lying. I challenge him
to take the lie detector test," Codinera said.

He denied having received money from Gimenez. The P100,000 they allegedly
used to bribe him was even submitted as evidence and presented to the
media, he said. The policeman said his conscience is clear.

Codinera said he even paid for the suspect's meal at the canteen.

The policeman also denied having escorted Gimenez to his house while he was
in detention or authorizing him to leave jail.

He said, though, that he cannot speak for his subordinates.

Codinera said Gimenez himself mentioned the Hong Kong Triad during
interrogation.

He said he met this Taiwanese financier in a casino in Manila. This man, he
said, left the Cebu business to him, Codinera said in Cebuano.