Cebu City mayor seeks dismissal of 7 cops accused of bribery

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Seven police offers from the Cebu City Police Office’s (CCPO) City Intelligence Branch (CIB), were disarmed and relieved of their posts after being accused of freeing drug suspects in exchange for money.

Three suspects were arrested in a drug raid in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, where several packs of shabu were confiscated. The arrest and seizure of the drugs, however, were not reported in the police blotter.

The suspects were also eventually let go.

“Dili gani ilabay (don’t just toss them aside), dismiss them… A crime done anywhere is a crime against all and that is a crime against the PNP (Philippine National Police),” Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama told reporters during a press conference on February 17.

CCPO’s Senior Superintendent Benjamin Santos told reporters that the 7 police officers accused of bribery are still working and have not been relieved of beat patrol duty.

Superintendent Artemio Ricabo, CCPO deputy city director for administration, explained that while he would not tolerate bribery in the police force, that the accused should be given “due process.”

The CCPO will conduct an administrative investigation on the officers involved as well as a lifestyle check.

Rama, who has been critical of the CCPO director, believes that supervision of local police has to be under the local government.

“Everything about the police should be handled by the mayor. It’s just like the police unit is another department and that is what we call as full decentralization,” Rama was quoted in local newspaper The Freeman.

The results of the investigation will be elevated to the PNP Regional Office-7 for review, as well as to determine if any action needs to been taken against the accused officers. – Ryan Macasero/Rappler.com