PNP probes 4 cops over alleged involvement in Pasig armed robbery

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Dionardo Carlos on Sunday placed four Taguig City police officers in restrictive custody pending a thorough inquiry into their alleged participation in a Pasig City robbery on Saturday.

Initial reports said that the incident occurred at 12:10 a.m, on Saturday in Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City, with the robbers holding at gunpoint live-in partners Japanese expat Toshiro Kani, 42 years old, and Joana Marie Flores Espiritu, 26 years old.

The gunmen forced Kani to open a vault and take out an estimated P30 million in cash, as well as a mobile phone, then escaped on four motorcycles.

Alert police responders gave chase, with a brief shootout resulting in the death of suspect John Carlo Atienza and the wounding of Police Staff Sergeant Jayson Bartolome.

The four cops who were tagged as among the seven suspects in the robbery are now all in the custody of the Pasig City Police Station.

The PNP identified them as Police Staff Sergeant Jayson Bartolome, Police Corporal Merick Desoloc, Police Corporal Christian Jerome Reyes, and Patrolman Kirk Joshua Almojera.

The other two suspects, dismissed PNP member Ferdinand Fallari and a certain Ruwel Galang, both eluded arrest.

Carlos also ordered Police Major General Vicente Danao, head of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to place the Commander of Sub-Station 1 of the Taguig City Police Station on administrative relief to prevent any possibility of undue influence in the investigation.

The chief PNP said they seek to “get to the bottom of this incident and unmask all persons involved.”

In a statement, the Taguig City government commended the Pasig and Makati police for the arrest. "Mayor Lino Cayetano has ordered the Taguig Police to cooperate with the investigation and launch its own probe on the incident," the LGU said in a statement.

"[Cayetano] asked the Taguig Chief of Police to look into all personnel, clean the ranks and put order immediately. He further asked that a reshuffle of Taguig PNP be made pending the investigation," it added.

The LGU also said that a special investigation committee will be created over reports that a city government employee was also involved. — Giselle Ombay/BM, GMA News