MANILA, Philippines – A precinct commander in Pasay City was relieved from his post after two of his men were caught receiving alleged protection money from a bus operator, Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, acting director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said Thursday.

Sinas identified the relieved officer as Capt. Mark Oyad, commander of the Pasay City Police Community Precinct 7, and the two arrested policemen as Cpl. Reynald Pallangeo Macwes and Cpl. Jimuel Ilagan Bernal, who were in their service uniforms and aboard a patrol car during the entrapment.

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In a press briefing at the Kamuning Police Station in Quezon City, Sinas said the entrapment procedure stemmed from a report that Macwes and Bernal were collecting P500 to P1,000 per trip from bus and van operators – depending on the size of their vehicles – in order to continue their operations in terminals within the Malibay area.

Sinas said the complainant, a bus operator, was summoned September 28 by Oyad in his office to inform the businessman that the daily collection will be fixed at P1,000 for every trip of buses and vans.

Sinas said the complainant disagreed, displeasing Oyad, who then threatened the complainant that he will be arrested for drug charges if he will not accede to the new scheme.

The bus operator, however, decided to report the incident to higher authorities. Sinas said personnel of the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) and the Intelligence Group (IG) then conducted surveillance on the suspects.

After verification, officers of IMEG, IG, and NCRPO’s Regional Intelligence Division launched an entrapment operation at Grand Transport Terminal along Edsa on Wednesday, leading to the arrest of the two policemen after allegedly receiving P100 from the complainant.

The investigation is also ongoing against Oyad, who, according to Sinas, has been disarmed following the incident. /kga

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