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Wednesday, September 17, 2003
PNP top cops conduct inspections of nightclubs
By Miko Santos
A raid led by PNP Chief Hermogenes Ebdane in the wee hours of Tuesday failed to net policemen at Quezon City's Classmate KTV Bar.
Ebdane and Chief Supt. Reynaldo Velasco, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), spearheaded the group from Camp Crame, which swooped down on the joint along Quezon Avenue between midnight Monday and 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
"If only to prove a point, we want to make sure whether or not there are police in nightclubs," Ebdane said in Filipino.
No policeman was caught unwinding at the Classmates bar, though police did not enter rooms which had signs that read "classes going on" on their doors.
After failing to locate policemen at the bar, the raiding team proceeded to nearby Mystique KTV, also a popular hangout for off-duty police officers.
The team found no policemen carousing with the club's lady receptionists but noticed bottles of imported liquor displayed with names and their supposed ranks written on them. Several of the names noted were that of a Sergeant Divina, Sergeant Ceballes, Captain Taniel, Captain Reyes and Colonel Vera.
Ebdane said he would order an investigation to determine if the names found on the bottles belong to policemen on the active duty roster.
The PNP leadership drew flak Monday after armed men robbed Classmate KTV last week.
Sources said around P200,000 was taken from the bar's cash register. The report also said several policemen were victimized by robbers during the heist.
The robbers, armed with UZI submachine guns and M-16 rifles, also barged into the club's VIP rooms and proceeded to divest customers of their cash and valuables.
The club's management and the Central Police District downplayed the report, saying it was an ordinary case of armed robbery.
On Monday, President Arroyo asked policemen to avoid nightspots, saying they should be "models for the community." |
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