PNP-IAS recommends dismissal of 6 Caloocan cops who allegedly took vendor’s cash

The Philippine National Police—Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) has recommended the dismissal from service of six Caloocan cops who allegedly took P14,000 from a vendor in March, a report said Friday.

IAS chief Atty. Alfegar Triambulo said the recommendation has been sent to the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management - Discipline, Law, and Order Division on Tuesday, Super Radyo dzBB’s Mark Makalalad reported.

"Nirecommend po namin na 'yung anim na pulis ay tanggalin sa trabaho (We recommended that they be removed from service)," said Triambulo.

The PNP identified the cops as Police Corporals Noel Espejo Sison, Rommel Toribio, Ryan Sammy Gomez Mateo, Jake Barcenilla Rosima, Mark Christian Abarca Cabanilla, and Daryl Calija Sablay of the Caloocan City Police Drug Enforcement Unit.

According to Triambulo, the cops are guilty of grave misconduct and conduct unbecoming of a police officer after they assaulted the vendor Eddie Yuson and took his money as seen in a CCTV footage.

"Sila po ay unfit na magpatuloy bilang isang alagad ng gobyerno, bilang isang pulis, sa kanilang masamang ginagawa. Supposedly ay dapat na pinoprotektahan nila ang kanyang property at buhay pero ito ay kanilang minaltrato at sapilitang kinuha ng pera," he said.

"Ito ay hindi dapat pamarisan at ito ay nakikita namin na circumstances na  dapat ay sibakin sa serbisyo ang mga pulis na ito," he added.

(They are unfit to be a government personnel, a police because of their wrongdoings. They were supposed to protect the property and life of this person but they maltreated him and forcibly took his money.)

He added that the cops failed to explain their actions against the vendor.

If PNP officer-in-charge Police Lieutenant General Vicente Danao Jr. approves the recommendation, the six cops will no longer receive benefits and be able to work in the government.

“The recommendation was to dismiss the involved police personnel—guilty of Grave Misconduct and Conduct Unbecoming of a police officer,” the PNP said in a statement.

“The decision was made after a careful examination of all the pieces of evidence presented and the failure of the cops to substantially justify their actions against the vendor,” it added.

Aside from the administrative cases, the cops are also facing a robbery complaint filed by the vendor.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Caloocan City Police chief Police Colonel Samuel Valenzuela Mina Jr. said while they respect the recommendation, he hopes that a second chance will be given to the cops.

“There are avenues naman na puwede silang (that they can file) makapag-motion or plead for a lesser penalty. Let us also reconsider 'yung mga nagawa din nila (what they have done),” he said.

“There is no better way than to give them a second chance also,” he added.

According to Mina, the concerned cops are outstanding personnel of their anti-illegal drug unit.

On March 27, the cops allegedly took Yuson's P14,000 cash aid from the government when he was on his way to buy dinner for his children. The cops allegedly cornered him and inspected his bags.

Based on the cops' accounts, they asked for the victim’s identification cards after they noticed him roaming around the area where they were conducting an anti-illegal drug operation.

The cops admitted that they hurt the vendor but denied the allegation of robbery.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA News