CITF nabs 60 rogue cops

A total of 60 police officers with alleged involvement in illegal activities were arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF) in 2017.

The police scalawags were arrested in 24 counter-intelligence operations since the CITF was formed in January last year.

“This strong-arm effort of CITF complements the internal reform program of the PNP that has resulted in the dismissal of 398 police personnel since 2016 for various administrative offenses,” PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao said yesterday.

The rogue policemen were composed of two commissioned officers and 58 noncommissioned officers.

Chief Inspector Romeo Bulanadi, former police chief of Sasmuan town in Pampanga, was arrested in January this year for extorting money from a carnival manager.

The other police official was Senior Inspector Cesar Espejo who was arrested in July 2017 along with six barangay officials for extortion activities in Taguig City.

CHR hits PNP

Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has called out the PNP over its supposed double standard in handling cases of self-defense, which resulted in deaths of drug suspects.

The CHR noted that the police filed charges against lawyer Argel Cabatbat and his companions after they killed one of the suspects who had ambushed him in Quezon City on Feb. 13.

Quezon City Police District director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said it is standard procedure to file the case against Cabatbat and his companions because someone died.

“The same procedure should be applied not only against civilians claiming selfdefense, but also against police officers,” the CHR said.

“Policemen must prove in court that they killed crime suspects in self-defense,” it added.