Mandaluyong City RTC Branch 213 judge Carlos Valenzuela ordered the arrest of eight policemen who figured in the Edsa “hulidap” case in September last year.
Ordered arrested were Senior Inspectors Marco Polo Estrera, Alan Emlano and Oliver Villanueva, SPO2 Ramil Hachero, PO2 Eronn Decatara, PO2 Weavin Masa, PO2 Jerome Datinguinoo, and PO2 Mark De la Paz.
The court postponed the arraignment of two other policemen—Chief Inspector Joseph de Vera ad PO2 Jonathan Rodriguez following the petition filed by their lawyers before the Department of Justice.
The arraignment of De Vera and Rodriguez was set in August.
The 10 policemen were charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention before the Mandaluyong court involving complainants Samanodin Abdul Gafur and Camal Mama.
Gafur and Mama claimed they were on their way to buy heavy equipment in Subic but were abducted in Edsa, brought to the La Loma precinct of the Quezon City Police District where the policemen took their cash and emptied their ATMs of cash.
De Vera, the deputy chief of the police precinct and Rodriguez were arrested the day after pictures of the “hulidap” incident went viral in the social media.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Carmelo Valmoria confirmed the arrest warrant against the eight policemen, claiming he ordered the Eastern Police District (EPD) to account and turn them over to the court.
Valmoria said Emlano is under restrictive custody of the NCRPO, Villanueva before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) while the rest were with the QCPD.
“What I know is they (eight policemen) are under restrictive custody so there is a police official accountable for them,” said Valmoria in an interview.
The EDSA ‘hulidap’ incident became viral in social media after pictures of the suspects circulated doing the deed in broad daylight.