BY MINKA TIANGCO
A Quezon City policeman was dismissed while another one was suspended by the city government for their alleged extortion activities in a police station, Mayor Joy Belmonte announced Sunday.
In an eight-page decision, the Quezon City People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) dismissed Police Patrolman Michael Gragasin from the service for robbery and extortion and suspended Police Corporal Alex Chocowen for 51 days for attempted extortion.
The case stemmed from the complaint of a certain Rissa Natividad, who said she gave P30,000 to Gragasin for the release of her brother, Mark Torres, who was arrested in San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City on Aug. 16, 2016.
Investigation showed that Natividad handed Gragasin the money inside the Quezon City Police District Station 2 (Masambong).
The cop also allegedly told her that he will bring her to a hotel the following day, which she agreed to due to desperation.
The following day, Chocowen also reportedly approached the woman and asked her to give him P3,000 so he won’t attend her brother’s hearing.
The police officer also asked Natividad if they can have a drink.
The PLEB said it was convinced that Natividad “was solely prompted by her desire to seek justice and correct what is wrong in the law enforcement system” in filing her complaint.
Since the extortion and the attempted extortion happened in the police station, the PLEB treated it as an “aggravating circumstance” in the imposition of the penalty against the respondent policemen, it said in its decision.
Belmonte lauded the PLEB, that was recently reorganized and strengthened in July, saying that it is now approaching a “zero backlog case” status.
“In just five months, the reorganized PLEB has made significant contributions to the city. May katapat na ang mga abusadong pulis dito sa lungsod,” Belmonte said.
“I am one with you in your collective vision to be the show window of the PLEB in the country,” she added.
