Manila cop arrested for allegedly extorting money from market vendors

Operatives of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) have arrested a Manila police community precinct commander and his supposed cohort over alleged robbery extortion activities.

In a press statement on Thursday, police said the cop was from a precinct in Ermita.

According to PNP-IMEG director Police Colonel Ronald Lee, authorities conducted an entrapment operation Wednesday against the cop after receiving complaints from vendors in the market that the police officer was supposedly extorting P150 each from them so they could continue to sell in the area.

“We have arrested a police commissioned officer who has been the subject of complaint regarding his extortion activity. It turned out that [the police officer] is extorting P150 daily from each vendor," Lee said.

"Once they fail to give the amount, they are being subjected to harassment by the officer,” Lee added.

Lee said the alleged civilian cohort was the one who supposedly collected the money from the vendors.

The two suspects were immediately brought to the PNP-IMEG jail facility in Camp Crame pending the filing of criminal charges against them. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News