Six charged for beating up cop in Tondo drug buy-bust

MANILA, Philippines — A barangay watchman and five others were charged on Tuesday with attempted murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) for mauling a man acting as a buyer during a buy-bust operation in 2007. Assistant City Prosecutor Maria Roma Flor A. Ortiz recommended the filing of charges against kagawad Gerry Gomez, Rodel Gomez, Renan Gomez, Joana M. Manalo, Jose P. Saclao and Joel H. Saclao, all of Pavia St. in Tondo, Manila. Ortiz also filed charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 against Romeo Felipe, alias Memo, a resident of Brgy. 54 in Tondo who had been the subject of the buy-bust operation. The case stemmed from the complaint lodged by Police Officer 2 Melchor Barolo, Police Officer 3 Rodolfo Ong, and Senior Police Officer 2 Charlie Manzano, all assigned with Manila Police District - Police Station 7 (PS-7) in Tondo. Court records showed that the police officers set up an entrapment operation against Memo on April 17, 2007, with Barolo as poseur-buyer. When the cop was about to apprehend Felipe after handing over a plastic sachet of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) worth P100 to Memo, someone shouted to warn the buyer that he was dealing with a policeman. Barolo said he was running after the fleeing Felipe when Gerry Gomez, a kagawad in the neighborhood, allegedly blocked his path and told him, “hindi ninyo pwedeng hulihin si Memo (you cannot arrest Memo)." The lawman claimed several persons suddenly rushed and ganged up on him, hitting him with a bottle and baseball bat and kicking him. The mob scampered away as the other members of the buy-bust team arrived but not without pelting the police car with stones. - GMANews.TV