PNP-AFP wrongful arrests

CHEERS TO ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol for its investigative series on the Philippine National Police-Armed Forces of the Philippines (PNP-AFP) rewards system for the arrest of allegedly high- value terrorists and criminals in the Philippines.

TV Patrol’s Investigative Reports reviewed the multimillion rewards system for the arrest of wanted personalities which led to several wrongful arrests from 2004 to 2014. The series was aired from March 25 to 27, 2015.

In the first part of the series, the report reviewed the government’s campaign against the Abu Sayyaf from 2004 to 2014. The government has released some Php 280 million in reward money for informants and “tipsters” that led to the arrest of suspected terrorists. But according to the report, there were  51 wrongful arrests on record during that period.

The investigative story also reported the details of the PNP-AFP rewards system. It interviewed former chief of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) General Investigation Unit and retired police Supt. Jess Kabigting, who admitted that some officers received kickbacks or shared the rewards for the arrest of  allegedly high- value terrorists.

Investigative Reports also interviewed a government official and an intelligence officer who chose not to be identified.

Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor, deputy director of the PNP’s Directorate for Intelligence, denied that such a scheme was in place. He said  cash rewards are given  informants in full.

The second part of the series said that the cash rewards were a major incentive for  PNP and AFP officers in many of the arrests.

Based on the data collected by ABS-CBN News, it seems there were two Radzmar Sangkula arrested by the PNP; there were two “Black Tungkang”; three Jerome Mustakim; three Edwin Sawaldi; two Ustadz Hamad Idris; two Mohamad Said Sali; two Abdsil Dima; two Madia Hamja; and two Hussein Kasim. The rewards for these “most wanted personalities” ranged from Php 100,000 to Php 3.3 million.

The report highlighted the review of the transcripts of a 2014 Pasig court resolution for the Jehovah’s Witnesses kidnapping case. The suspects were known as the “Black Tungkangs” and had Php 3.3 million rewards on their heads. There were two suspects arrested in 2012.

In 2014, the state prosecutor of the case moved for the immediate release of one of the accused when the witness, a former kidnap victim, said that the person before her was not among her kidnappers.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos recommended the review of the PNP-AFP rewards system.

In the third part of the series, Investigative Reports said that as of August 2013 the government has already released a Php 19 million reward in cash to informants who helped capture alleged terrorists and sympathizers of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CCP-NPA).

Among the most wanted high ranking CCP-NPA officials was Danilo Benjamin Mendoza who had a Php 5.6 million reward on his head. In October 2012, police officials arrested a man in Quezon City and insisted that he was Mendoza.

A few weeks later, the court ordered the release of the detained person. The court resolution said that the accused was not Mendoza but Rolly Panesa, a security guard based in Quezon City. Panesa was freed after a year in prison when his lawyer filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines still insists that Panesa and Mendoza are the same person.

The entire series was supported with relevant documents and interviews.