ILOILO City – Police arrested a retired officer in Barangay Bayuyan, Estancia, Iloilo for alleged extortion.
Retired Senior Police Officer 2 Francisco Osal, 59, of Barangay Malbog, Estancia was accused of collecting “protection money” from buses on board roll-on, roll-off vessels at the town’s port.
Officers caught Osal in an entrapment operation at around 8 a.m. on Thursday at a Ceres bus terminal.
The operation took off from a tip from a Ceres bus dispatcher that Osal was extorting money from them, said Chief Inspector Jonah Galitcha, Estancia police head.
Osal was arrested as soon as he received P500 cash from a dispatcher. He was detained at the Estancia police station.
Formerly assigned at the Estancia police station, Osal availed himself of optional retirement in 2009. He faces extortion and usurpation of authority charges.
‘WORKING WITH SALCEDO’
According to intelligence information, Galitcha said Osal was part of a bigger extortion group that allegedly involved Nerio “Ricky” Salcedo and Estancia fish port manager Frank George Sanson.
Salcedo and Sanson were subjects of a police search of the house of former Sara town mayor Neptali Salcedo on Wednesday.
Nerio Salcedo, the former mayor’s stepson, and the mayor’s son Nixon Salcedo Jr. died during the search – operatives shot them when they put up a fight, police said.
Still based on intelligence information, the group of Osal, Nerio Salcedo and Sanson would ask P100 per bus passenger at the RORO port as “protection money,” Galitcha said.
Osal in particular would introduce himself as a policeman – sometimes clad in Philippine National Police uniform – and threaten buses that their trips would be suspended if they refuse to give money, said Galitcha./PN
