SIX police officers of Caloocan City Police Station who were placed under restrictive custody for their alleged involvement in a robbery incident last March 27, 2022, refused to exercise their right to vote on Monday.

The six cops, identified as Noel Sison, Rommel Toribio, Ryan Sammy Mateo, Jake Rosima, Mark Christian Cabanilla, and Daryl Sablay, all with the ranks of P/Corporals, have affixed their signatures in the blotter expressing their “lack of interest” to exercise their right of suffrage despite the effort exerted by personnel of the District Special Operation Unit (DSOU) of the Northern Police District (NPD) to assist them.

The cops reasoned out that the polling precinct where they have to cast their ballots was only a stone’s throw away from the place where the complainant and his relatives were living.

The involved police personnel who were disarmed of their service firearms are presently under restrictive custody at the DSOU under the leadership of P/Lt. Col. Jay Dimaandal, following an administrative complaint for grave misconduct, was lodged against them by the Philippine National Police (PNP) through its Internal Affairs Service.

At present, no criminal charges were filed against the six cops after their victim, a 39-year-old sidewalk vendor identified as Eddie Yuson, manifested his lack of interest in filing a complaint against the police officers.

However, a CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage that went viral showed that the victim was frisked and searched for his personal belongings by police officers who were all assigned at the Caloocan Police Station Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) and allegedly took his cash amounting to P14,000 given to him by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with the assistance of Caloocan Rep. Dale “Along” Malapitan.

The relief order against the six cops came from the PNP hierarchy to conduct a fair investigation without undue influence.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Edd Reyes