PNP chief, General Gilor Eleazar was seething in anger on Monday after learning that an ambulance driver of the PNP General Hospital was arrested for completely defying his warning to his men not to meddle with their recruitment program in order to gain easy money.

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He has reasons to be mad because it turned out that it was the 2nd time that the suspect identified as Staff Sergeant Joel Zalun Bunagan had been arrested for committing the same offense which is telling PNP applicants he could facilitate their entry into the force, of course for a huge amount of money, P100,000 for each applicant to be exact.

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With the aid of online investigations conducted by the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group headed by Brigadier Gen. Robert Rodriguez, the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group headed by Brig. Gen. Tom Frias arrested the 37-year old resident of North Fairview, Quezon City in an entrapment operation.

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Gen. Eleazar has ordered the immediate filing of criminal charges and the initiation of summary dismissal proceedings against Bunagan,who was already arrested last year for the same criminal activity. He added that he wants his men to identify the possible cohorts of the accused.

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“Inaalam natin kung paano nanatili pa sa serbisyo ang ungas na pulis na ito. Tutukuyin natin kung sino ang mga kasabwat ng Bunagan na iyan at kanyang mga nilapitan para ‘di masibak sa pwesto. Dapat magsama-sama sila sa kulungan,” an angry Eleazar.

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The top cop could not hide his anger after learning of the arrest of the mulcting policeman. “Sobrang tapang din ng hiya nito na nahuli na dati at nabuko, nakasuhan pa. Pero hindi pa din tumigil sa kabulastugan,” he said.

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I learned from former PNP-IMEG director, now Cordillera police director, Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee that they first arrested Bunagan on April 8, 2020. Brig. Gen. Lee said that with the help of the PNP Intelligence Group, they validated the involvement of the accused in extorting cash ranging from P100,000 to P150,000 from PNP applicants with health issues.

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It turned out that undercover PNP-IMEG and PNP-IG officers last year discovered that Bunagan was extorting P100,000 from PNP applicants who have medical issues. The suspect’s arrest last year in Barangay Kaligayahan in Novaliches, Q.C. was triggered by a complaint from a PNP applicant at that time.

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The rogue cop’s modus operandi goes like this: he will approach a police applicant and tell him that he can easily pass the tough PNP medical examination in exchange for money. Once the applicant believes him, the glib-tongued policeman will have lots of cash in his pocket.

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Last Monday, 1, another entrapment operation was set against Bunagan based on the complaint of a PNP applicant that the suspect had been demanding P100,000 from him in exchange for his passing the PNP recruitment process.

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A team of IMEG operatives arrested the policeman 3 p.m. Monday along Waling-Waling Street in Sampaguita Subdivision, Barangay 175 in Camarin, Caloocan City as he received the marked money from a poseur. The erring policeman yielded the boodle money topped by a marked P1,000 bill and a motorcycle which he used in going to the ‘payoff site.’

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Now under the custody of the PNP-IMEG, the cop will be facing criminal charges including violation of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Act of 2018.

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The PNP chief commended the PNP-IMEG for making the arrest. This time, he said there would be no way for Bunagan but out of the police force. “Hindi na natin hahayaang makalusot pa itong suspek para harapin ang mga kasong kanyang kinakaharap. Talagang pananagutin natin ito,” he said.

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The suspect was found to be out on bail when arrested. He was already the subject of an administrative proceedings and was already indicted last year. “Bunagan and his kind are the reason why we started reforms in our recruitment system, making it nameless and faceless with the use of QR codes for the entire process of the PNP application. We will no longer allow the shenanigans of the few rotten eggs in the ranks get in the way of the PNP recruiting only the best and most qualified in the service,” Gen. Eleazar said.

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I just hope that the arrest of Bunagan will put an end to the money-making racket of some unscrupulous groups and individuals preying on police applicants in the country. Gen. Eleazar had repeatedly issued the warning that under him. no one could buy their way into the national police force.

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Last week, a wife of a Metro Manila policeman was also arrested by PNP-ACG and IMEG agents for claiming she could assist police applicants in this year’s recruitment of more than 17,000 Patrolman/Patrolwoman.

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The suspect identified as Evalyn M. Aleman alias ‘Evah Fonda,’ a resident of Bicutan, Taguig city was arrested while in the act of receiving P50,000 in marked money from an undercover officer. I learned that the entrapment operation was triggered by a ‘cyber-patrolling’ conducted by PNP-ACG agents. The Cybercops monitored that Aleman has been offering assistance to PNP Recruitment applicants in exchange for money in her Facebook account.

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Gen. Eleazar has ordered the investigation of a police doctor with the rank of Colonel who was implicated by the suspect in her illegal activities, I was told.

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Under his ‘Nameless, Faceless’ recruitment program , Gen. Eleazar had ensured the public there will be no more ‘padrino, palakasan or bata-bata’ system when it comes to recruiting rookie members of the force.

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