The Philippine National Police (PNP) extended the administrative relief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) chiefs until November 22.
NCRPO chief, Police Major General Sidney Hernia, and ACG Director, Police Major General Ronnie Cariaga, were initially relieved from their posts for 10 days starting November 7.
Cariaga and Hernia are currently under investigation by a committee led by Acting Deputy Chief for Operations Police Lieutenant General Michael John Dubria. This investigation follows issues arising from the PNP-ACG and NCRPO’s operation targeting a suspected scam hub in Manila.
During a press briefing at Camp Rafael Crame on Thursday, November 21, Police Spokesperson and Public Information Office chief, Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo, announced that the PNP has added five more days to the administrative relief of the two PNP generals, which was set to expire on November 22.
“The investigation is not yet done. The PNP leadership deems it necessary to extend their administrative relief until Friday,” the PNP spokesperson stated during the briefing.
“Hopefully, by tomorrow, it’s done; we’d have initial findings, but let’s wait for the investigation to finish and for the results to be completed,” she added.
Fajardo explained that Hernia and Cariaga were placed on administrative relief because they are “the highest commanders of the units involved.”
However, the PNP spokesperson maintained that the operation was “legitimate.”
On October 29, the PNP ACG and the NCRPO conducted a raid at Vertex Technologies, a suspected POGO scam hub, under a cyber-warrant.
The NCRPO chief has been accused of extorting foreigners arrested during this raid, a claim that he denies.
Meanwhile, the ACG is facing scrutiny due to three of its personnel allegedly tampering with the building’s CCTV cameras while police remained at Century Peak Tower to collect evidence following the raid.
