11 Cebu cops stripped of cash allowances

BY CALVIN CORDOVA

CEBU CITY – Eleven personnel of the Sawang Calero Police Station, who were allegedly involved in various illicit activities here, were stripped of their monthly allowances from the city government.

The 11 cops were earlier relieved and charged after they were accused of extorting money from a 35-year-woman in Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.

While the investigation is ongoing, the city will stop giving cash allowance to the policemen involved, Mayor Edgardo Labella said.

Policemen assigned in the city are entitled to receive monthly cash allowance ranging from P4,000 to P8,000 from the City Hall. The amount that a policeman will receive will depend on his rank.

“We will stop the allowances especially that these are very serious allegations. We will stop the giving of allowances and we will ask Atty. Rey Gealon to file necessary charges,” Labella added.

Labella was further incensed over accusations that the Sawang Calero Police Station had a “secret detention cell” where some civilians were allegedly tortured.

Labella had ordered the City Legal Office to conduct its own investigation.

“I know we still have a lot of good policemen but if we have this kind of policemen, it can destroy the image of the entire police and it’s unfair for policemen who are sincere with their job. That’s why we have to discipline them to prevent more policemen from becoming like them,” Labella said in Cebuano.

One of the policemen was also accused of raping the woman twice.

A businesswoman also sought help from the Integrity Monitoring and Enhancement Group-Visayas Field Unit (IMEG-VFU) after a group of policemen from Sawang Calero also tried extort money from her.

IMEG-VFU has already filed initial charges against the 11 policemen.

The Commission on Human Rights-Central Visayas has also launched an investigation over reports that the police station had a secret jail.