The five police officers implicated in the robbery-extortion of a computer shop in Sampaloc, Manila surrendered on Monday evening and are already under the custody of the Manila Police District (MPD). First to surrender were Cpl. Jonmark Gonzales Dabucol, and patrol officers Jeremiah Sesma Pascual and John Lester Reyes Pagar. They surrendered to Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) executive director Gilbert Cruz in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The two other suspects, staff sergeants Ryann Tagle Paculan and Jan Erwin Santiago Isaac, surrendered late in the evening. The suspects were then presented to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., before they were transferred to the MPD on Monday evening. 'Sa kasalukuyan, under MPD restrictive custody sila while undergoing investigation yung case nila. Mananatili sila dito, nag-surrender na rin po sila ng kanilang mga firearms (They are currently under MPD restrictive custody while their case is undergoing investigation. They will remain here. They have also surrendered their firearms),' MPD director, Brig. Gen. Andre Dizon, said in a TV interview. The five erring cops surfaced after Acorda released a directive for a manhunt conducted by the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group and Intelligence Group. Pagar, one of the suspects, said their operation was legitimate and they welcome any investigation. 'Meron din po kaming mga ebidensiyang hawak na nagpapatunay na wala po kaming kasalanan (We also have evidence in our possession that proves our innocence). We voluntarily submit ourselves sa aming minamahal na organization dahil open po kami sa any kind of investigation na inaano ng aming organization sa amin (We voluntarily submit ourselves to our beloved organization because we are open to any kind of investigation that our organization requires of us),' he said in a TV interview. Aside from facing administrative charges, the five cops are also facing criminal charges of robbery with intimidation. According to the PNP, the five cops were allegedly caught in closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage as they forcibly entered a computer shop in Barangay 525 on the night of July 11, and introduced themselves as police personnel conducting an operation against illegal gambling. The five allegedly accused 73-year-old Herminigildo dela Cruz, owner of the computer shop, of being involved in an illegal gambling den before they took the shop's earnings from a drawer amounting to PHP44,000. They also did not present any search warrant and were in plain clothes, according to the PNP. The suspects allegedly demanded from the shop owner a weekly 'protection money' of PHP4,000 just to continue the shop's operation. Police are also investigating an alias 'Menay,' who allegedly acted as an accomplice of the suspects
Source: Philippines News Agency