By Aaron Recuenco

Anti-scalawag operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have arrested Monday morning a police sergeant for allegedly demanding weekly grease money from a group of habal-habal drivers in Pasay City.

Police Col. Romeo Caramat, head of the PNP’s Counter-Intelligence Task Force (CITF), said the arrested cop identified as Police Staff Sergeant Rommel Macaspac was collared during an entrapment operation at the corner of Luna Street and Buendia Avenue in Pasay City.

Caramat said the operation stemmed from a complaint of habal-habal driver whom Macaspac allegedly threatened after failing to remit the P2,000 grease money for last week.

Macaspac was reportedly asking P2,000 every week from a group of habal-habal drivers operating in Pasay City in exchange for allowing them to pick up and unload passengers in some areas in Pasay City.

“The arrested suspect also threatened him by pointing a gun on his head when he failed to remit the weekly ‘grease’ money last week to the arrested suspect,” said Caramat.

“Aside from this, the arrested suspect took the only money of complainant’s wife in the amount of 1500 pesos against her will that prompted the complainant to report the incident to CITF,” he added.

The entrapment was mapped out after Macaspac allegedly still insisted on getting the remaining amount to complete the P2,000 weekly grease money.

Seized from him were the marked P1,000 money and a 9mm pistol.

He is now under custody of the CITF and will be charged with criminal and administrative charges.

Despite a hefty salary increase last year, the CITF still arrested more than 100 policemen mostly due to extortion activities.