The seven wanted Las Piñas City police officers involved in the alleged abduction and robbery-extortion case last week surrendered to the Southern Police District, an SPD official announced on Thursday.
The case had prompted Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar to order the relief of Las Piñas City police commander Marion Balonglong and 36 of his men assigned to the police station’s Drug Enforcement Unit.
SPD spokesperson Jenny Tecson said the seven police officers assigned to the Las Piñas SDEU team gave themselves up a week after Eleazar directed the SPD to conduct a manhunt operation against the suspects.
First to surrender was Police Officer 1 Erickson Rivera who reported to the office of NCRPO Regional Intelligence Unit chief Ruel de Leon.
The six other suspects—PO3 Joel Lupig, PO2 Vener Guanlao, PO1 Mark Jefferson Fulgencio, PO1 Jeffrey T De Leon, PO2 Jayson M Arrelano and PO1 Raymart Gomez—with relatives and lawyers in tow, voluntarily surrendered on Wednesday to SPD director Eliseo Cruz.
“Further, the 36 former SDEU personnel of Las Piñas were relieved on Nov. 22 from their post to pave way to the ongoing investigation being conducted by the SPD as a result of the alleged involvement of their seven (7) colleagues who were earlier identified,” said Tecson.
She added that the seven police personnel were “already disarmed of their service firearms and were already put into restrictive custody effective yesterday.”
The SPD turned over the seven policemen to Eleazar's office on Thursday.
The seven were charged with kidnap for ransom case before the Cavite Regional Trial Court. An administrative case of grave misconduct were also filed against them by the SPD.
"Likewise, the District, Internal Affairs Service has also started with their motu propio investigation relative to the case," Tecson added.
The case stemmed from the complaint filed by Shelane Ligutan, 28, a resident of Silang, Cavite, who claimed that her policemen arrested her brother Cyrus for alleged possession of illegal drugs.
The police officers allegedly demanded money from Cyrus’ relatives in exchange for his release. The family told the police officers they would be paid in Cavite.
The family then coordinated with the NCRPO and SPD operatives, who arranged and set up the entrapment operation, but authorities were only able to apprehend a 13-year-old boy used by the suspects to do the errand for them.
Recovered from the boy’s possession were cash money worth P30,000 and a gun replica. The police also seized a grey Yamaha MIO Soul motorcycle without a registration plate, allegedly owned by a certain PO1 Buenaventura.”‹