Manila Cop Arrested For Extorting Vendors To Keep Selling In Area
MANILA COP – Amid the coronavirus lockdown in Metro Manila, several establishments were closed.
In a bid to further flatten the spread of the virus, the Philippine government extended the lockdown in Luzon until April 30.
However, instead of upholding their duty, one Manila cop was arrested for alleged robbery extortion activities. According to an article from GMA, Police Captain Josep Pedro Bocalbos was accused of the crime.
Bocalbos was the commander of the Paz Community Precinct in Ermita. Meanwhile, his alleged civilian cohort was identified as Joyce “Joy” Sajines.
According to the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG), authorities conducted an entrapment operation against Bocalbos. This was done after they got complaints from vendors that alleged the police captain extorted P150 from each vendor so they could sell in the area.
As per the report, Ronald Lee, PNP-IMEG director Police Colonel stated:
We have arrested a police commissioned officer who has been the subject of complaint regarding his extortion activity. It turned out that Police Captain Bacolbos is extorting P150 daily from each vendor in Barangay Paz, Paco, Manila,
Additionally, Lee said that the vendors would be subjected to harassment by the the officer if they failed to give the amount. Furthermore, Lee noted that Sajines served as the collector of the money.
The two suspects were immediately taken to the PNP-IMEG jail facility in Camp Crame. Currently, a criminal charge is being filed against the allegedly extorting duo. However, Bacolbos would also be tagged with administrative charges for grave misconduct.
Amidst the coronavirus lockdown, several people, even authorities have been capitalizing on their fellow countrymen. This could range from hoarding much-needed supplies to extorting market vendors.
Currently, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines had reached over 3,000. Along with this, the virus had caused over 100 fatalities.
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