Pubdate: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 Source: Sun.Star Cebu (Philippines) Copyright: 2006 Sun.Star Contact: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1690 Author: Karlon N. Rama Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) ookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) 2 TOWN COPS CAUGHT FOR P35T BRIBERY Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday arrested three town policemen caught in a noontime entrapment, receiving money from the mother of a drug detainee. The arrest happened in full view of people having lunch at an eatery, meters away from the Palace of Justice in Cebu City. Armed NBI agents wrestled with one of the policemen during the arrest. The cop, identified as PO3 Estanislao Avenido, was eventually subdued and disarmed. Elizabeth Gallarde, 57, filed the complaint that led to the arrest of SPO2 Jerry Villarin, formerly of the Fuente Police Station in Cebu City, PO3 Avenido and PO2 Wilfredo Amancio. They all belong to the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CCPO) and assigned to the Moalboal PNP Station in southern Cebu. Gallarde, in an interview, said the three demanded P85,000 to facilitate the dismissal of the complaint they had filed against her 21-year-old son Mark James, who they allegedly caught peddling shabu. The amount was later lowered to P35,000. Deal She said she had to sell a parcel of land in Moalboal town to raise the money. But instead of giving it to the police, she asked the NBI to use it as marked money to arrest the policemen. Gallarde said the three claimed that Insp. Carmelita Condevillamar, the Moalboal PNP chief, was in on the deal. Condevillamar went to the NBI headquarters yesterday and, in a conference with NBI 7 Director Medardo de Lemos, confirmed that the three were assigned to her. She, however, denied that she was involved in the deal. In an interview, Condevillamar said her station will cooperate with the NBI. Villarin, interviewed inside the NBI stockade, also denied the allegations. "If we wanted money, why would we have her give it to us here in Cebu City? We could have done so in Moalboal or in our patrol (vehicle) on our way here," he reasoned in Cebuano. Hearing He said Gallarde called him up on his cellular telephone immediately after he and his teammates arrested Mark James. "I told her that I wasn't interested in settling the case or receiving money because I am not that kind of policeman," Villarin said. He said he and his teammates were at the Palace of Justice not to meet with Gallarde but to attend the preliminary investigation of Mark James, who they arrested last March 6 allegedly selling shabu to a poseur-buyer. The complaint against Mark James was filed last March 7 and he was given 10 working days, or until March 21, to submit a counter-affidavit. Villarin said Mark James did not submit a counter-affidavit so a criminal case was prepared against him yesterday. Waiting "We were going to bring the case records from the (Office of the Cebu Provincial) Prosecutor to the Regional Trial Court in Badian town, but Prosecutor (Jane) Petralba was out. We were waiting for her signature," he said. He was surprised when NBI agents approached them and took them into custody outside the Palace of Justice, where he and Amancio were smoking. De Lemos, in a separate interview, said agents are preparing charges of extortion and violations of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act against the three policemen. Villarin and Amancio tested negative but Avenido's hands were found positive of the same tracing substance the NBI placed on the marked money. NBI agents described the operation as complicated and revealed that the three policemen used good counter-surveillance maneuvers to see if they were being followed. Switch The agent who tailed Gallarde in the sting had to stop after the policeman became suspicious and switched the drop-off site elsewhere. Another agent had to take his place and tail the woman in the operation that took over an hour. According to Gallarde, she gave the money to the policemen as instructed but Avenido, the designated receiver, did not accept the money. Instead, Avenido told her to buy a newspaper and wrap the money with it before giving it to him. She said she complied but the policeman still did not receive the money, instructing her to walk with them to another location and then another, apparently to shake off anybody who might be following them. When the money finally changed hands, the NBI agents were there to respond. - --- MAP posted-by: Tom