I’M saying this in the wake of the PNP’s continuing effort to account for most wanted persons in the country led by gaming tycoon Atong Ang, former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, dismissed police Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Dumlao II and the accused in the multi-billion flood control mess and illegal POGO-turned ‘scam farms’ in the country.
The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has activated their 24-hour hotlines 0960-6923025 and 0456-115926 to receive calls and information leading to the immediate capture of Ang and Dumlao. The DILG has offered a P20 million and a P1 million reward for the capture of Ang and Dumlao, the suspected ‘mastermind’ behind the abduction and murder of Korean national Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame in 2016.
PNP-CIDG director Major General Robert Morico said no questions will be asked on the tipster who will give the accurate information that would lead to the arrest of the two. They simply have to present the SIM card they used in texting the information to the CIDG hotlines.
The DOJ-NBI has offered a P2 million reward for the arrest of Bantag who is facing charges for two counts of murder in connection with the killing of broadcaster Percy Lapid and Bilibid inmate Jun Villamor.
Then there is the never-ending saga on the hunt for former congressman Zaldy Co and the other accused in the multi-billion flood control mess as well as the hunt for the elusive former Duterte spokesperson, Attorney Harry Roque who is facing qualified trafficking charges stemming from the operations of the dismantled Lucky South 99 POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga.
Just imagine the amount of personnel and other resources being used by the PNP and other government law enforcement agencies in order to bring the accused behind the bars of justice. All information are being checked and counter-checked with no positive results forcing the DILG to put up a huge reward for the capture of the suspects like Ang and Dumlao.
Now comes the report that the International Criminal Court has released a document listing the charges filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte as well as his alleged co-perpetrators in supposed murders that have been committed in Davao City during Duterte’s term as mayor and murders of ‘high-value drug targets’ during his 6-year presidency.
The ICC named Duterte’s co-perpetrators — sad to say, many of them have been friends from the police force — including former PNP chief-turned Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa; former PNP officer-in-charge retired Lieutenant Gen. Vic Danao; former PNP chief retired Gen. Oscar Albayalde; former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Sid Lapena; and the late PNP chief for 2-months only, Gen. Pikoy Cascolan.
Dela Rosa, Albayalde and Cascolan who passed away in November 2023 are all from PMA Class 1986 while Lapeña is from PMA Class 1973. Danao is from PMA Class 1991. It means that the PNP really has to do its job in taking custody of the accused in case the ICC issues warrants against them just like what it did to the former president who is now imprisoned in The Hague.
It would really be a hard time for officers to apprehend and handcuff their former superiors. Sen. dela Rosa and Albayalde are both tough-talking former PNP chiefs who sent many rogues in uniform behind bars during their prime.
Danao, a former PNP-OIC who commanded the Manila Police and the Metro Manila and Calabarzon police forces during the Duterte presidency is also a known nemesis of criminals and hoodlums in uniform. Lapeña is a former Davao region police director who became a Bureau of Customs chief and PDEA head during the Duterte administration.
Others named by the ICC in their latest report are Senator Bong Go, former NBI director Dante Gierran, former Duterte justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III and other still unidentified officers and men of the PNP. That means more names can be added to the list soon and may be targeted for arrest by their former superiors and other colleagues who are still in the active police service.
The hunters become the hunted. As they always say, Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
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