By: Jeffrey G. Damicog
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered yesterday the investigation of 13 Caloocan City policemen who allegedly used a minor to steal from the home of a businesswoman.
Aguirre said has tapped the Department of Justice (DoJ) Task Force on Child Protection to conduct a thorough investigation on the use of the minor by members of the Caloocan City police force.
“Any act which inflicts physical or psychological injury, cruelty to or the neglect, sexual abuse of, or which exploits, a child is child abuse,” said Aguirre in a statement.
”Such an act is an affront to the dignity of the child as a person. It cannot be tolerated and should be sanctioned to the full extent of our laws,” he stressed.
The secretary said he wants the task force “to file the necessary charges against the responsible persons who have committed any act which is tantamount to child abuse.”
Northern Police District (NPD) chief Supt. Amando Clifton Empiso ordered the relief of the 13 policemen last Thursday after learning of the incident. They are Police Officers 1 Ariel Furlo, Marvin Pablete, Sherwin Rivera, Jay Sabatu, Shabang Sampurna, Rene Llanto, Louie Serrano, Jaypee Talay, Ronelio Julaton, Jay-R Sabangan, Jaime Natividad, Michael Miguel, and Joey Leaban.
Empiso acted on the complaint of a 51-year-old businesswoman who brought a footage of her closed circuit television (CCTV) camera showing what the 13 cops did in her house in Barangay 188, Tala, Caloocan City.
The footage showed the policemen just barged into her house on September 7 at around 9 p.m. and used a bolt cutter to open the gate.
A child, who was with the policemen, was seen taking two watches and a phone. The victim, said the cash amounting to around P30,000 was also missing.
The Caloocan City police said the incident was part of a follow-up after an arrested drug suspect named the businesswoman as her source of illegal drugs.
However, the businesswoman denied the accusation of the drug suspect.