National Police chief General Dionardo Carlos has ordered the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) led by Major Gen. Vicente Danao to place four members of the Taguig City Police Station under restrictive custody as the police conduct a thorough inquiry into their alleged participation in a robbery of a Japanese expat and his Filipina partner in Pasig City after midnight on Saturday.
Philippine National Police spokesman Col. Roderick Augustus Balba said the PNP chief aldo instructed Danao to place the chief of Sub-Station 1 of the Taguig City Police Station on administrative relief to avoid any possibility of undue influence in the investigation which Carlos said seeks to get into the bottom of the incident and identify all the suspects involved.
Under custody by the Pasig City Police Station are Ssg. Jayson Bartolome, Cpl. Merick Desoloc, Cpl. Christian Jerome Reyes and Patrolman Kirk Joshua Almojera.
The four were tagged as among the seven suspects who staged a robbery at No. 8 Sta. Elvira Street, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City at around 12:10 a.m. on Saturday and held at gunpoint live-in partners Joana Marie Flores Espiritu, 26, and Japanese Kani Toshiro, 42.
The NCRPO has stepped-up pursuit operations against two more suspects in the robbery that includes dismissed poluceman Ferdinand Fallari and a certain Ruwel Galang, who both eluded arrest.
According to initial reports, the suspects forced Toshiro to open a vault and scooped out an estimated P30-million cash and an expensive mobile phone.
While escaping on board four motorcycles, the suspects were engaged by alert police responders triggering a brief shootout that resulted in the death of suspect John Carlo Atienza and the wounding of Bartolome.
Mayor’s appeal
Taguig City mayor Edgardo Lino Cayetano sought a reshuffle of Taguig police pending the investigation of the four active-duty Taguig cops.
Cayetano also asked for a full investigation after reports came in that a city government employee was also involved in the incident.
“I am creating a special investigation committee that will immediately look into a robbery incident involving a Taguig City employee. All links in relation to this incident will be looked into,” the mayor said, stressing that the city condemns all acts of violence, illegal drugs, and corruption and it will not tolerate any employee who is involved in any form of crime.
The Taguig city government also commended the members of the Pasig and Makati police for the arrest of the four suspects.
Cayetano deplored the incident and asked the Taguig Chief of Police to look into all personnel, clean the ranks and put order immediately.
“Let this serve as a very strong warning to bad elements who prey on innocent civilians. In Taguig, regardless of who you are, you will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
The suspects were presented to Danao on Saturday, who lashed out at them, noting they had no warrants and had damaged the credibility of an otherwise serious campaign on illegal drugs.
He became more angry upon learning that one of them even reported for duty after the robbery.
“Ikaw on duty ka pa ha? Kasagsagan ng Pasko naghohold-up kayo [You, you’re even on duty. You’re holding up people during the Christmas season]?” Danao, who was fuming, said to the suspects in a video uploaded on YouTube.
Danao was seen on a video uploaded on YouTube lashing out at the suspects when they were presented to him, noting they had no warrants and had damaged the credibility of an otherwise serious campaign on illegal drugs.
He noted that they were very young, singling out one cop who entered the service in 2020.
Danao said that the suspects made it appear that they are conducting an anti-illegal drugs operation.
“Police tayo! Hindi tayo holdaper [We are policemen! We are not robbers]!” Danao added, as he reminded them that they cannot conduct such an operation without search warrant.
Read full article on BusinessMirror
