The noose further tightened against eight active policemen involved
in the EDSA kidnapping and robbery after they were charged and then
ordered to undergo dismissal proceedings yesterday.
Charged with highway robbery, serious illegal detention, and
kidnapping were Chief Inspector Joseph De Vera, Police Officer 2
Jonathan Rodriguez, Senior Inspector Oliver Villanueva, Senior Police
Officer 1 Ramil Hachero, PO2 Weavin Masa, PO2 Mark De Paz, PO2 Jerome
Datinguinoo, and PO2 Ebonn Decatoria. All of them, except Rodriguez, are
assigned to the La Loma Police Station of the Quezon City Police
District. Rodriguez is assigned to the District Public Safety Battalion.
Also charged was dismissed Senior Inspector Marco Polo Estrera.
De Vera, a multi-awarded police officer, and Rodriguez are now in the custody of the Mandaluyong Police Station.
On the other hand, Villanueva, Hachero, Masa, De Paz, Datinguinoo and
Decatoria reportedly went into hiding after learning about the arrest
of De Vera. They are now considered on absence without official leave
(AWOL) and now the subject of a manhunt along with Estrera.
As this developed, the Eastern Police District (EPD) said that three
more people, including another police officer, allegedly took part in
the EDSA incident.
Chief Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta, EPD director, identified
the police officer as Senior Inspector Allan Enlano. The two other new
suspects remain unidentified.
Villacorta said the addition of the three brings to 12 the total
number of suspects involved in the September 1 EDSA kidnapping and
robbery.
Aside from the charges, Director General Alan Purisima, Philippine
National Police (PNP) chief, ordered the conduct of dismissal
proceedings against the eight active policemen. No criminal and
administrative cases have been filed against Enlano as he was just
implicated yesterday.
With the involvement of the eight policemen in the P2-million
robbery, Chief Supt. Richard Albano relieved Superintendent Osmundo de
Guzman as La Loma Police Station commander. He was replaced by Supt.
Dionisio Bartolome, the current chief of the QCPD District Special
Operations Unit (DSOU).
De Vera – who has been awarded with more than 30 medals, awards, and
commendations in his 13 years as a police officer – was De Guzman’s
deputy commander, while Villanueva was the head of the Investigation
Branch.
Among the medals, awards, and commendations handed out to De Vera,
who is married and has two children, include six Letters of
Commendation, 10 Medalya ng Kasanayan, the last of which was awarded to
him by Director Carmelo Valmoria, the regional director of the National
Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), on March 12 of this year; six
Medalya ng Papuri, a Medalya ng Kagalingan, a Medalya ng Papuri, three
Certificates of Recognition, two Letters of Appreciation, amon others.
Since becoming a police officer more than a decade ago, De Vera has
been assigned to a number of offices such as the Special Action Force
(SAF) on January 7, 2002, at the QCPD headquarters in Camp Karingal, on
May 3, 2002; schooling at the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) on
February 6, 2006; at the QCPD Police Station 6 in Batasan on September
18, 2008; and as the deputy chief of the QCPD District Operation and
Plans Division on March 2, 2009.
Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, chief police information officer,
said the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) has already been directed to
start the investigation for administrative charges against the eight
active policemen.
Normally, Sindac said IAS would only conduct investigation if there
is a complainant but the official explained that the Chief PNP has the
power to order it to start the probe against any erring personnel.
“The IAS can investigate on its own initiative, especially if there is an order coming from the Chief PNP,” said Sindac.
The administrative proceedings normally take a month, according to
Sindac, what with some of the procedures that safeguard the right to due
process by any involved policemen.
The proceedings, however, states that after a policeman is declared
AWOL, the next course of actions if he continues to remain at large is
the dropping of their names from the rolls and payroll.
But in every step, Sindac said the procedures dictate that the
policeman is notified at least through a mail to his last known address.
The declaration of AWOL, according to Sindac, also warrants other
administrative charges such as dereliction of duty as the policemen have
a daily task to do.
It was recalled that the investigation on what is now known as EDSA
robbery and kidnapping started through a photo that has gone viral in
the social media.
The ensuing probe resulted in the tracing of the owners of the vehicles that ended with the names of cops as owners.
The PNP, it was recalled, has been at the forefront of controversy
following the involvement of its personnel in several illegal activities
such as the killing of Enzo Pastor wherein the gunman is a cop, the
killing of a police official in Quezon City wherein the brains ended up
as policemen and the shooting incident in Pangasinan school wherein the
shooter is a cop.
But despite the involvement of its personnel, Sindac appealed to the
public not to look down on the entire organization, saying the rotten
eggs in the 148,000-strong organization is only represented by a handful
of its personnel.
“The fact that those who arrested these erring policemen are also
cops means that we are really serious in purging the police organization
with misfits,” said Sindac.
So far, Sindac said a manhunt was already launched against the six
other policemen. He said they have not received any surrender feeler
form any of them as of yesterday.
Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio
Coloma Jr. said the government has “zero tolerance” for rogue cops.
Coloma assured that the PNP will continue to cleanse its ranks.
“We are implementing a zero tolerance policy for so called rogue cops,” Coloma said in a Palace press briefing.
Coloma brushed aside concerns that the EDSA kidnapping incident was a major blow against the PNP.
“What would be a major blow is if there is no effort on the part of
its leadership to clean up its ranks. What would be a major blow is if
there would be a situation where the PNP is not doing its duty,” he
said.
