PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos said the six police officers accused of robbing a sidewalk vendor have been relieved of their posts and are now facing administrative charges.
Carlos in a statement Tuesday evening, identified the cops as Corporals Noel Espejo Sison, 33; Rommel Toribio, 29; Ryan Sammy Gomez Mateo, 32; Jake Barcenilla Rosima, 35; Mark Christian Abarca Cabanilla, 31; and Daryl Calija Sablay, 29, all members of the Drug Enforcement Unit of the Caloocan City Police Station.
“The involved personnel were immediately relieved so a fair investigation can proceed without any undue influence. They are now under restrictive custody, and disarmed of their service firearms,” Carlos said.
Initial investigation showed that the victim, Eddie Yuson, 39, was on his way to Barangay 117 last March 27 to buy food when he was approached by one of the suspects who introduced himself as a police officer.
A CCTV footage, which became viral after being uploaded and shared on social media, showed that he was frisked and his belongings searched. Five other suspects onboard a white pickup truck approached him after a few minutes.
Yuson alleged that the policemen took his cash amounting to PHP14,000.
The PNP said it would pursue a probe into the incident through its Internal Affairs Service and also appealed to Yuson to cooperate in its investigation.
“We don’t want this isolated incident to tarnish the reputation of the entire organization. They will undergo the process of adjudication to ferret out the truth,” Carlos said.
In a separate statement, National Capital Region Police Office chief Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad condemned the “unacceptable behavior” and vowed a speedy probe, adding that the cops would be held accountable.
“I condemn this shameless disregard of policies and laws by six personnel of the drug enforcement unit of Caloocan City Police Station who were charged with robbery following a viral Facebook post uploaded by the victim himself,” Natividad said.
“This unacceptable behavior deserves the severest sanction from our organization since it runs diametrically opposed to our mandate to serve and protect the people and keep the community safe, peaceful, and secured.”
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