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Cops in ‘hot water’ for ‘missing’ P397T ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – The Regional Special Operations Unit (RSOU) of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is in “hot water.”
Its operatives supposedly conducted an anti-illegal gambling operation in Barangay Lapayon, Leganes, Iloilo on Saturday. Nine arrested suspects, however, claimed they were carpenters building a house.
The men also claimed the police seized P397,000 intended for their wages and construction materials.
The Leganes police station itself noted a procedural lapse in the alleged anti-illegal gambling operation. The RSOU team led by a certain Police Officer 3 Sorongon did not inform or coordinate with the municipal police station prior to carrying it out.
The supposed raid was staged in a house undergoing construction in Barangay Lapayon around 2:30 p.m. Nine men, suspected illegal gambling bet collectors, were arrested.
The RSOU team informed the Leganes police about the supposed raid only after the operation. It had the incident blottered and turned over the nine men to the local police.
If the RSOU team were to be believed, they caught the men consolidating their bet collections. They turned over to the Leganes police bet stubs, pens, a stapler, a carbon paper, markers, P11,664 cash and a black jacket.
The arrested men were Reymond Susmiran, 27, of Barangay San Vicente, Leganes Iloilo; Elmer Huervana, 31, and John Benjie Calunsod, 20, both of Barangay Sooc, Mandurriao, Iloilo City; Jovito Balsomo, 34, of Barangay Guzman-Jesena, Mandurriao, Iloilo City; Marphe Peniero, 23, of Barangay San Isidro, Jaro, Iloilo City; Jonhel Torres, 34, of Barangay Lanag, Santa Barbara, Iloilo; Hary Dagu, 36, of Barangay Gines Patag, Cabatuan Iloilo; Jason Farrol, 26, of Barangay Cabangan, Badiangan Iloilo; and Joseph Bacoro, 33, of Barangay Belen, Banate Iloilo.
The men insisted they were not bet collectors of the illegal numbers game “bookies” but carpenters. They also wondered where the P397,000 went.
Aside from failing to give the Leganes police prior notice about the raid, the RSOU operatives were also not in uniform, Panay News sources said.
Senior Inspector Gerry Leones, Leganes police chief, himself said RSOU’s Police Officer 3 Sorongon informed his station about their operation only after it had been carried out, contrary to Philippine National Police’s standard operating procedure on operations carried out by police teams in areas not their own.
Sources told Panay News the RSOU team of Sorongon previously conducted several other anti-illegal gambling operations in the towns of Miag-ao and Oton, and Passi City.
In the alleged Miag-ao operation, some P100,000 were not accounted, sources said.
The RSOU is composed of two teams – Alpha and Bravo. These were created by Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles, regional police director, and given the specific task to conduct anti-illegal gambling operations./PN
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