3 ‘kotong’ cops sent to Mindanao

Three Quezon City police officers – arrested last week for allegedly extorting P120,000 from a fugitive in exchange for not arresting him – have been reassigned to Mindanao, an official said yesterday.

Police Officers 3 Joseph Merin, Aprilito Santos and Ramil Dazo were transferred to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) upon orders of Director Oscar Albayalde, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

“These so-called ‘kotong cops’ were shipped to ARMM as their punishment for being involved in robbery-extortion,” said Albayalde in an interview. “This case should serve as a stern warning to other policemen not to follow their bad example.”

Albayalde also ordered the filing of an administrative case against the trio, who were also charged for robbery-extortion before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office based on the complaint of Illuminada Leetiong.

Leetiong said she was sleeping when the suspects went to her house on Ayungin street in Barangay Talipapa looking for her son, Raymond.

She said the policemen demanded P120,000 from her in exchange for not serving a warrant for the arrest of Raymond, who is reportedly wanted for qualified theft and violation of the cybercrime law.

Leetiong said the police officers settled for P70,000.

Superintendent Danilo Mendoza, Talipapa police station commander, said the suspects were arrested in an entrapment operation after Leetiong handed P15,000 in marked money to Dazo.

Mendoza said although the warrant for Raymond’s arrest was valid, the operation was not coordinated with him and the unit head.

He said the three policemen were not officially dispatched to serve the arrest warrant. –