PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. has ordered the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) to intensify their campaign against rogues in uniform in the wake of the arrest of two Cavite policemen accused of involvement in a multimillion-peso ‘kotong’ racket in Bacoor City.

The top cop instructed PNP-CIDG director Major Gen. Romeo M. Caramat Jr. and PNP-IMEG director Brigadier Gen. Warren F. De Leon to team up in validating complaints against policemen involved in corrupt and other illegal activities.

Last week, Acorda announced the arrest of two Bacoor City Police Station members in Cavite and their civilian pal accused of extorting P130,000 a month from a group of public transport operators and drivers in the city.

He said that members of the PNP-CIDG arrested the trio during an entrapment operation at the Fil Oil and PTT Gasoline Stations located along Molino Road corner Molino Boulevard in Barangay Molino, Bacoor City around 11:30 a.m. last September 19.

Acorda identified the arrested suspects as Police Senior Master Sergeant Joselito Bugay, Police Staff Sgt. Dave Gregor Bautista and John Louie de Leon, and a civilian said to be acting as a ‘tong collector’ for the policemen.

A 4th suspect identified as Edralin Gawaran, said to be a relative of Bautista and currently the head of the Bacoor City Traffic Management Department, managed to escape arrest.

The two policemen were also charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and violation of the nationwide gun ban after some of the guns recovered from their possession were discovered to be unlicensed.

Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla said he would not tolerate corruption from his employees and added that the CIDG entrapment operation should serve as an example to those who are committing or planning to commit corruption using their positions in Bacoor.

Acorda said the two arrested policemen have gained notoriety for allegedly extorting money from transport groups in Bacoor City, Cavite.

The arrest was triggered by a complaint from a Bacoor City driver who went to the CIDG National Capital Region Field Unit office last Monday and accused the suspects of alleged robbery-extortion.

The man claimed they have been giving the accused a P130,000 monthly ‘payola’ since February this year, the amount divided to P65,000 every 15th and 30th of the month.

However, he said that very recently, Bugay told them they need to raise their monthly protection money to P170,000 since the number of passenger vans have been increasing.

He added that Bugay threatened to take over their terminal and intercept all their members if they will fail to comply with his demand.

On Tuesday last week, members of the CIDG Southern Metro Manila District Field Unit, with the help of officers from the Cavite Police Provincial Office and NCR Police Office Regional Mobile Force Battalion, launched the entrapment operation, said CIDG-NCRFU chief, Colonel Hansel M. Marantan.

De Leon was the first to be arrested when he received the marked money from the complainant at the Fil Oil gas station. An hour later, Bugay was arrested after he took the money from de Leon at the PTT gasoline station not knowing that officers were already in the area.

A follow-up operation at the Bacoor City Traffic Management Department yielded a negative result when the head of the unit identified as Gawaran failed to appear.

Recovered during the operation were the entrapment money topped by two marked P1,000 bills, one M-16 automatic rifle, a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a Glock 30 Gen. caliber .45 pistol, 47 cal. 9mm live ammunition, 44 rounds of cal. .45 ammunition, three M-16 magazines with 67 live ammunition, several magazines of 9mm and cal. .45 pistol and four assorted mobile phones.

“These individuals stand accused of collecting monthly payments, known as ‘payola’ from tricycle operators, drivers’ associations and other transport groups. It is estimated that they amassed around P1.5 million per month with an average of P170,000 per transport groups,” the PNP chief said.

The suspects are facing criminal charges for robbery-extortion, violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 and the Omnibus Election Code or Batas Pambansa No. 881 for violating the nationwide gun ban imposed in connection with the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

Acorda commended the PNP-CIDG headed by Caramat for their latest accomplishment in the crackdown against few rogues in uniform.