A pre-charge investigation against three personnel of the Paco police community precinct (PCP) under the Manila Police District (MPD) who were arrested after allegedly extorting from a tricycle driver has begun, the the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported Sunday, August 21.
Police Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, newly installed NCRPO regional director, said the office has initiated the probe against Staff Sgt. Erwin Licuasen, 34, Cpl. Chimber Importa, 33, and Pat. Leopoldo Tuason, 39.
They were arrested in an entrapment operation by the Integrity Monitoring Enforcement Group (IMEG), the anti-scalawag unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP), after allegedly extorting P2,000 from 34-year-old Frederick Alba, a tricycle driver whose vehicle was impounded by the group for a traffic violation last August 15.
Meanwhile, Major Jomar Ermino, precinct commander of Paco PCP, and the rest of the 17-member unit will undergo a 45-day Focused Reformation/Reorientation and Moral Enhancement for Police Officers (FORM) retraining program after they were also relieved from their posts.
“To promote the PNP’s desire to completely reform the organization, the involved cops must be investigated exhaustively,” Estomo said.
The NCRPO chief guaranteed that the organization “will never tolerate colleagues who have crossed the line regardless of their status.”